Storie Raccolte
by Kiskaloo
Summary: Italian for "Collected Stories", this is an experiment to tell stories like a manga volume - a series of small "chapters" that may or may not touch on each other sequentially or over time that are collected under a single title.
1. 20 Questions

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

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* * *

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"_Twenty Questions"_

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

"State your full name and designation," Doctor Belesario ordered.

"Kara Michelle Pagani, test subject XB 11-02," Kara replied. Dressed in grey camisole and panties, she was sitting in a chair, a pair of smoked wrap-around goggles over her eyes. Beside her, a technician was reading a stream of data from sensors embedded in the chair, including heart rate, respiration and blood pressure.

"What are your primary functions?"

"To advance prosthetic and cybernetic research for the Social Welfare Agency; to defend the Republic against all enemies foreign and domestic; and to obey the orders of my handler and the Social Welfare Agency."

"Who is your handler?"

"Michele Pagani."

"Very good, Kara." He turned to the technician manning a digital camcorder and received a thumbs-up.

"Kara, I am going to ask you a series of questions, okay?"

"Okay."

"Are you experiencing any problems or faults with your cybernetic implants?"

"No."

"Are you sleeping well?"

"Yes."

"Any frightening or confusing dreams?"

"No."

"But you do dream?"

"Yes."

"Of what?"

"Recent events. My handler. The other cyborgs. Random things."

"Describe how you and your handler are getting along..."

* * *

"You can wake up now, Kara," Doctor Belesario said, removing the goggles.

Kara blinked her eyes at the harsh light reflecting off the walls and raised her right hand to shade them. She slipped out of the chair and pulled on a light green medical snap front tunic and drawstring pants and slipped her feet into cotton flats. She hung the badge holder around her neck and walked out of the examination room and into the waiting area, taking a seat on a bench next to Henrietta and sighed.

"You older girls are always tired after they examine you," Henrietta noted. She was wearing the same outfit as Kara and next to her sat Rico, also dressed the same.

"It's your scary dreams," Rico noted, kicking her legs out in front of her.

"I had a nice dream," Kara retorted. "Though it was one of those 'third person' dreams where I was watching and not actually participating."

"What did you dream, Kara?" Rico asked, pushing against Henrietta to get closer to Kara.

"Rico!" Henrietta cried as she slid into Kara. She started pushing back.

"Stop it you two," Kara admonished. "Rico, scoot over to your right a bit." Rico did so and Kara rose and sat back down between them.

"I was outside; at an airport, though I didn't recognize where. There were a lot of planes in a row. A beautiful Japanese woman was holding the hand of a cute young Japanese girl. The woman pointed out on one of the runways and I saw a plane with a long fuselage and four engines painted a beautiful mix of white, gold and purple accelerate down the runway and lift off into a clear sky. It was very loud. Louder then I expected and the sound kind of went through me."

"That sounds scary," Rico replied, and Kara playfully cuffed her forehead.

* * *

The temperature in the first week of January hovered around freezing and the sky overhead was cloudy. However, snowfall in Rome was rare and accumulations even more so and therefore the grounds around the SWA compound were bare and dry.

In a non-descript conference room, close to a dozen men and women faced each other around a long oval table. The temperature was significantly warmer inside, but many wore suit jackets or sweaters.

"It's remarkable how quickly the first tranche of new cyborgs have bonded with their handlers," Doctor Fernando Bianchi reported. "The Alessandro-Petrushka team are the farthest along, but it appears that the Michele-Kara _fratello_ is now also starting to express genuine affection for each other based on what Kara revealed during her latest examination."

"I thought the Series 2 cyborgs were not programmed to love their handlers?" Ferro asked.

"That is correct," Doctor Belesario stated. "After Elsa de Sica suffered her…error…it was decided that we would not impose feelings of love and affection for their handlers on the new series."

"And you are not worried that Petrushka or Kara could also exhibit this…error…as you call it?" Ferro probed.

"At first we thought it might be a case of the cyborgs misinterpreting their loyalty towards their handler with love," Belesario replied. "However, it is quite clear that both cyborgs have developed an emotional attachment to their handlers completely independent of the programming and conditioning. Because these feelings are developing naturally based on external stimuli, we don't see any reason to worry about what happened with Elsa happening with these girls."

"Why is it happening at all?" Minister of Defense Monica Petris asked.

"They are teenage girls with teenage hormones," Doctor Bianchi noted. "Alessandro is a handsome young man who shows a strong interest in Petrushka as a woman. As for Michele, he dotes on Kara and shares with her the toys and joys of his life. It really should not be surprising that both girls reciprocate that affection back on their handler. They are the only men in their lives, after all."

He nodded to a red headed female in a white lab coat. "Marianna?"

"With the new series, we tread as little as possible when it came to their personalities," Marianna stated. Her specialty was neurology and she worked hand-in-hand with Doctor Bianchi on the conditioning process as well as the hypnotherapy the girls underwent prior to augmentation and initial conditioning.

"Each girl's personality reflects who they were before they were augmented. Petrushka reflects the positive outlook and diligence she had when she was the ballerina Elizabeta Baranovskaya, even if she no longer has any memories of her previous life. With Kara, her handler insisted that she retain many of the interests she had held when she was Kumari Deleroux. Her compassionate side comes from before she was a cyborg, but she also appears to have started emulating Michele's leadership and command abilities. She also retains a number of her earlier memories which helped ground her personality in a way that girls with no memories of their pasts – like Triela and Petrushka, for example – could not."

"And the other Series 2 cyborgs?" Petris asked.

"None have shown true affection for their handlers as of yet," Belesario noted. "However, it may only be a matter of time before they do. All are showing strong compatibility with their handlers and we are interested to see how it all plays out."

"And the original series girls?"

"They continue to degrade," Marianna replied. "Triela and Henrietta are showing the most advanced degeneration, though it is not as severe as it was with Angelica. As such, we believe they still have some time of active duty available to them."

"And none have shown any…errors?"

"No. Triela's feelings for her handler appear to be quite complex, but healthy. Henrietta has what could best be called a crush on Giuseppe, but this is likely in part because both handlers take a mild hand in conditioning and relating to their cyborgs. Rico has been conditioned by Jean Croce to a level that I don't think she is capable of romantic feelings towards him. Her overriding motivation is to be useful to him."

"So in your opinion, Petrushka and Kara feeling real love for their handlers is not an issue?" Ferro asked.

"On the contrary, I believe it is a benefit," Marianna replied. "It strengthens their bond and likely makes them more loyal and receptive to commands."

"Thank you, Doctor," Lorenzo said. He looked to Minister Petris.

"Thank you, all," she said. Doctor Bianchi nodded and he and his staff rose and exited the conference room, leaving Petris, Ferro and Lorenzo.

"Interesting…" Petris said.

"But beneficial," Lorenzo noted. "If they are bonding quickly and well, this might be the answer to the problems we are having with the original series."

Minister Petris nodded her head.

* * *

_**The End**_


	2. What Is Love?

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

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* * *

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**"**_**What is Love?"**_

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

"Entrez!" Kara called out in French from where she was sitting in her bed in response to the knock on the door.

"Алло?" Though she didn't speak it, Kara identified it as Russian.

"Hello, Petra," she said without looking up from her book.

"Ilaria is not here?" Petrushka asked.

"She's at the firing range if you're looking for her," Kara replied.

"No, I wished to speak with you. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Kara said, marking and then closing the book she had been studying. She motioned for Petrushka to pull over one of the armchairs to the edge of her bed.

"Do you love Michele?" Petrushka asked.

"Why do you ask?" Kara replied, taken aback by the question.

"Angelica and Henrietta said that when they awoke, they loved their handlers immediately. From the moment they first laid eyes on them, they felt love and affection towards them. It was not the case with me. I felt loyalty towards Sandro and compelled to obey his and the Agency's commands. But not love, at least at first."

"They're of a different generation then us. Perhaps our programming is different," Kara suggested.

"I now love Sandro. He is someone I cherish. But I did not originally feel like this when I first woke up. As we spent time together and formed a relationship, these feelings grew until they became love. I want to know if I am alone amongst the new girls who feels this way."

"Yes, I do love Michele," Kara admitted. "And like you, it was not something I felt, or at least understood that I felt, until very recently."

"You've kissed him, haven't you?" Petrushka asked.

"Did the medical staff tell you that?" Kara said. She knew they were not bound by any confidentiality agreements, but she had expected them to be a bit more discreet with the information she provided when under examination.

Petrushka shook her head. "I can tell. I saw you…'smiling dumbly'…with Michele earlier this afternoon."

"I've never understood why she uses that term," Kara noted of their blonde sister Series 2 cyborg. "How does one exactly 'smile dumbly'? Ilaria accused me of the same when I returned from Christmas vacation."

"So you have kissed your handler?" Petrushka pressed.

"Yes. In Sydney as the New Year started. If there was such a thing as a Fairy Godfather, Michele would be mine. I just wanted to show him how much I appreciate him. I believe what I feel for him can only be love."

Petrushka nodded in understanding. "Since our love is natural, it is real. I wonder if the other girls, the first series, also experience real love since their love was imposed on them by the Agency."

"It's real to Henrietta," Kara stated. "It might have been imposed in the beginning, but her love is no less real and natural then ours. Perhaps even more so. And while she might deny it, when we went to Paris and Berlin, Triela seemed much happier when Hillshire was present then when he wasn't."

Petrushka's face took on a thoughtful look, and a smile much like a wolf likely gives a lamb just before it strikes crossed her face.

Kara's cellphone suddenly rang. She checked the Caller ID and answered.

"Moshi moshi," she said. "Yes, Michele…One moment…" She reached for a pen and pad of paper. "Okay…hai…hai…hai…I have a set of keys for both…hai…Ja ne!"

"Michele wants me to head to the grocery store to pick up some items. If you're free, we can talk on the way or we can resume when we get back."

"Ah yes, I heard you have your license now. Lucky. I'll come," Petrushka said. Kara moved off her bed and went to her wardrobe where she pulled out a pair of knee-length white leather boots.

Petrushka looked in the closet and saw that the other five pairs were knee-length, as well.

"Pagani, you must stop hiding your legs by wearing such tall boots. You need to go with something mid-thigh like these," she opinioned, pointing to her own black boots.

"My legs get cold," Kara retorted.

"So do mine, but we girls need to put up with a bit of discomfort if we're to look our best for our handlers," Petrushka opinioned. She was wearing a sweater jacket over a tank-top and jean shorts. Considering the weather outside was hovering just above freezing, Kara figured it wasn't just Petrushka's legs that were cold.

Petrushka unzipped her boots and handed them to Kara. "Try them on," she ordered. Kara decided to humor her and pulled them on and zipped them up. Their feet were very similar in size so they fit her well enough. Petrushka then hiked Kara's sweater dress even farther up her thighs.

"Much better," she said. "Now you will impress all the boys."

"I only want to impress Michele," Kara said and again, the wolfish grin spread across Petrushka's face.

"Well be sure to let him see you in that outfit and see what he says," Petrushka noted. She reached for Kara's pair of black patent leather boots and pulled them on.

* * *

As Petrushka and Kara walked along the path towards the garage area, they saw Triela coming towards them, her shotgun slung over her shoulder in it's map case.

"Ciao!" Kara greeted.

"Ciao," Triela replied. "What are you two up to?"

"Just the usual deviltry," Kara replied with a smile. Triela raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously, Michele asked me to run into town and get some groceries for this weekend and Petrushka is tagging along."

"Do you have room for one more?" Triela asked. "I missed dinner and I'd like to get something other then a microwave meal."

"Sure," Kara replied. "We can take the 456."

"You buy a new pair of boots?" Triela asked.

"No, Petrushka forced me to try hers."

"Don't make it sound so melodramatic, Kara," Petrushka said. "It's really for your benefit. There are times when you are going to want people to notice you, either to gauge their reactions or to cause a distraction so your handler can sneak by or perform a function," she noted.

"Fair enough, but can we get going? My legs are freezing."

Kara and Petrushka removed the car cover off Michele's Ferrari 456, putting it in the trunk with Triela's shotgun, then piled in and drove off towards town.

"So how was it?" Petrushka asked as they drove towards the _commune_.

"How was what?" Kara and Triela asked together.

"Kissing Michele," Petrushka clarified.

"You kissed Michele?" Triela exclaimed from the back seat.

Kara pulled out her cell phone, flipping it open but not dialing. "Hi, Ferro? It's Kara. Can you note in the morning briefing that I kissed Michele at New Years in Sydney? Thanks." She snapped it shut and put it back in her purse.

"Seriously, you kissed Michele?" Triela asked again.

"Yes. The fireworks went off and everybody around us started hugging and kissing so when Michele leaned down, I had this sudden desire to kiss him."

"You Series 2 girls don't waste any time," Triela teased, causing Kara to scowl at her in response.

"What's the big deal?" Petrushka said. "We all love our handlers, but at least the feelings Kara and I have are natural ones and were not imposed on us by the Agency."

"My feelings for Hillshire are my own," Triela said, biting her tongue when she realized she might have said too much.

"Are they now?" Petrushka asked, that wolfish smile returning.

"Petrushka, let it alone," Kara said. "It's not something I'm comfortable with other people knowing."

"Claes told me you said you felt love for him when you were in Geneva. Why did you wait six months to finally act on it?" Triela asked. She was curious about how their relationship had developed as she was not certain of how her own feelings towards Hillshire had evolved as of late.

"At Christmas he said I was beautiful. It was the first time he'd ever told me that," Kara replied. "He compliments me on my outfits and he's praised me for my efforts on missions, but this was different. And how he spoke and related to me was different…special, even. He gave me this necklace. He's never given me any jewelry before. And then he gave me my license. I know he did it so I could be more useful on missions, but that made it even more important to me. In Sydney he called me his partner and his companion and we promised to stay at each other's side. For the first time I felt not like a girl, but like an adult. I couldn't kiss him as a girl, but I felt I could as an adult."

"I see," Triela replied, thoughtfully.

"If we love our handlers, is it not natural to show them affection? Especially if the handlers are themselves receptive?" Petrushka asked, confused

"Was Michele receptive?" Triela asked, curious.

"Triela!" Kara cried, embarrassed.

"Sorry," Triela said. "Anyway, Petrushka. Not all our handlers are as…receptive…as Alessandro."

"That is because you both dress like a бабушка," Petrushka replied, using the Russian word for 'grandmother'. "They say Claes is the prim one, yet she always dresses in tight sweaters and short skirts," she noted.

"I told you in Venice. I like the clothes Hillshire buys for me," Triela said.

"We're here," Kara reported and pulled into the parking lot of the Esselunga supermarket.

"We'll pick this up later," Petrushka noted as they exited the car.

* * *

_**The End**_


	3. Fraternizing with the Enemy

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

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**"**_**Fraternizing with the Enemy"**_

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

"Your mission will take place in Bologna, but we need you to be a couple, so we're still deciding on how to proceed," Ferro noted.

"Just make Kara his mistress," Alessandro noted. "Matteo Amati is a womanizer so he'll understand. Heck, he'll likely compliment you on your exotic tastes."

"Why aren't you handling this? You've already made contact with him," Michele growled, staring daggers at Alessandro.

Kara raised her hand.

"Yes?" Ferro acknowledged.

"Would it work if I was his girlfriend? To explain my staying with Michele at his apartment in Milan, I tell people I'm an exchange student at university who is dating him."

"The University of Bologna is the oldest in Europe so it draws from all over the world…that could work," Ferro admitted. "It would make a far more believable cover then a married couple in this situation and since you two already use it, it should be easier to maintain."

* * *

The drive from Rome to Bologna on the A1 was just under 400 kilometers and with Kara behind the wheel of the F430 they completed it in just under two and a half hours, arriving in the late afternoon. They checked into their hotel, showered and changed for dinner. Kara added a blonde streak down the hair that fell over her left shoulder and Michele added contact lenses that changed his eye color from blue to brown. He also liberally streaked his hair with grey and had grown a partial beard, as well.

The ristorante they were meeting Amati at was past the Piazza Maggiore and the basilica of San Domenico, about a half a kilometer away from the hotel, so they decided to walk since the evening was nice.

They arrived and were shown to a table. Michele recognized Amati from the picture shown at the briefing.

"Signore Amati?" Michele asked.

"Signore Marchetti, I presume?" Amati said.

"Please, call me Donatello. This is my girlfriend, Michiko."

"A pleasure," Amati said, eyeing Kara. "My friends call me Matteo and I hope we can be friends, Donatello."

"As do I, Matteo," Michele said.

A waitress came by and distributed menus. Michele looked over the wine list and choose a local red from the higher end of the price and quality scale. Matteo made some recommendations which they concurred with.

"I want to thank you for travelling all the way up here to meet," Michele said. "I'm a little uncomfortable being close to Rome with all the…troubles…as of late."

"I can understand, Donatello. The government has scored some impressive successes as of late in Lombardy. Anyway, Niccolo Baggio vouched for you. He said he's worked with you in the past on…transporting…pieces of art you…acquired…for your collection."

"Yes, Niccolo has been very helpful. He approached me about providing the start-up funding for your business proposition."

"Yes. We'd like to set-up our shop in Barletta. It has a nice harbor so the boats coming across from Durrës will be able to dock. There is also a highway connecting to the A14 which can get them to here in Bologna and then on to the trains to Munich."

"What kind of personnel support will you need?" Michele asked.

"A dozen, tops," Matteo said. "The less people involved the less risk – and the less number of people to split the money with," he added with a wink. "We're happy to provide the staff, unless you have some people you wish to add?"

"No," Michele answered. "As you noted, the less people who know the better. I trust Niccolo and he felt it was best if this was handled by your associates."

Matteo smiled and nodded. "As for infrastructure, a fishing trawler would attract the least attention. We can modify the holds with false fronts so if we're stopped and boarded, the Guardia costiera will just find ice and fish. Depending on the loads, probably two or three Iveco vans. We'll handle all the paperwork before they arrive. All we will need to do is snap their pictures and add them to the documents. So we won't need any housing."

Their dinner arrived and they started eating.

"So, Michiko. What do you do?" Matteo asked.

"I am student at University," Kara replied.

"A foreign exchange student," Matteo said to Michele. "How'd you hook up with her?"

"I saw her at an espresso house one day. A Japanese girl is an uncommon site in Italy. I knew the language so when she looked up at me, I fired off a few phrases in _nihongo_."

"I was surprise to see someone speak to me in Japanese," Kara said. She was intentionally speaking in stilted "dictionary Italian" and trying to add a Japanese accent.

"So you hit it off right away?"

"It took a date or two, but we found we enjoyed each other's company and she moved in with me. She is beautiful, after all," Michele remarked.

"And he's rich," Kara added.

Matteo burst into hearty laughter. "Being neither, I can only imagine it must be nice," he said.

"It is indeed," Michele said, squeezing Kara's hand.

"He also very good in bed," Kara added, earning a grin from Matteo.

Fortunately, Michele had just swallowed his wine, otherwise he'd have spit it out in a fine spray. However, he successfully kept from making a scene.

"Getting back to the subject at hand," Michele said, recovering his composure. "What kind of start-up capital do you think you will need?"

"We're thinking €500.000. That will get us a boat, dock space, two vans, and equipment to create the documentation plus cover salaries and payoffs to officials. Your cut would be €500 a head for the first 1500 and then €250 a head after. You should recover your principal in under six months and then have a nice little income after that..."

* * *

After concluding their business and dinner, Michele and Kara walked back towards their hotel. They passed the entrance of the Galleria Cavour and entered, walking along the high-end shops under amazing sculptures of colored lights before heading back to their hotel.

"I'm sorry, Michele. I know your feelings about Lamborghinis, but those are just beautiful cars," Kara said as she stopped in front of a large window. Inside on stands sat a Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster and a Gallardo Spyder. The Lamborghini factory was located north of the city in Sant'Agata Bolognese and they had a "satellite showroom" with their two top models on display for people to look at.

"I have to admit that Audi has really reigned in some of the excesses of Lamborghini design philosophy. Compared to a Diablo or a Countach these cars are downright sensible," Michele said. "Especially the Gallardo."

"You still bought the F430, though," Kara noted.

"Lamborghini was far enough along with the Murciélago when Audi bought them that the Germans just made it more reliable. It still has that sense of extroversion that made a Lamborghini a Lamborghini. With the Gallardo, they oversaw the entire design process. So mechanically, it is a great car. But there was too much German in it and it just wasn't the drivers cars that the Ferrari is. The steering is heavier, the engine, while larger, isn't as responsive and the suspension is a bit too soft. "

"Yeah, yeah. But it is still a gorgeous machine," Kara said. "And that convertible even more so."

"We might as well take a closer look," Michele said and they stepped inside.

The Sales Manager was an expert observer and it took him only a moment to identify Kara's black Versace leather dress and Yves Saint Laurent patent leather boots as well as Michele's Armani suit. He therefore approached them as serious customers and not people just admiring the cars.

"Good evening, signore and signorina," he greeted. Based on her age, he guessed that Kara was a girlfriend and not a wife so he used "Miss" instead of "Madame".

"Good evening," Michele replied as he and Kara walked over to the Gallardo Spyder. The pearlescent paint was a deep shade of red and the interior was a mix of black and tan leather along with red carbon fiber in place of plastic.

"Striking, isn't it?" the Sales Manager said. "Osvaldo Turco," he introduced, putting out his hand.

"Michele Pagani," Michele replied as he took the offered hand. "This is my girlfriend Kara."

"It is striking," Kara replied.

"These cars represent some of the options available via our '_Ad Personam_' personalization program. It offers customers the ability to uniquely style their Lamborghini to fit their personal tastes," Osvaldo informed them. He opened the door and invited Kara to take a seat behind the wheel.

"This interior is magnificent," Kara said, running her hand across the fine grained leather dash. "And the carbon fiber work is exceptional. I normally don't like it, but it looks pretty when colored."

"The leatherwork was sourced by designers at Gianni Versace Couture and is the same used in their high-end dresses. The black matches nicely with your Versace, if I might be so bold. The carbon-fiber is specially colored to highlight the Rosso Leto paint," Osvaldo noted.

"Is it for sale?" Michele asked.

"Yes, sir. This car with the customizations fitted is €200.000."

Kara whistled, but Michele merely reached for his cellphone.

"I'll take it," he said. "Just let me know where to wire the money to."

"Of course, Signore Pagani. If you will excuse me for a moment, I will prepare the paperwork," Osvaldo said.

"What are you doing?" Kara asked after Osvaldo had left.

"You like it, don't you?"

"Absolutely, but you said it wasn't as good a car as the F430 and you own one of those."

"That was the Gallardo coupe. It was better then the 360, but not the F430. But this…this is something different. The Italians must have snuck in at night and added back some of the magic the coupe lost. I drove it a month back and trust me, driving this on a spring twilight with the top down and the V10 engine thundering at high-RPM will make you happy."

"Michele, I'd be happy driving a rusted-out Fiat 127 as long as you were in the passenger seat. You don't need to drop a quarter-million to see me smile."

"Kara, we're fortunate that we share a lot of interests in common, including cars. I think it's one of the reasons we've gelled so well as a _fratello_. If you hated this car and I loved it, I wouldn't buy it. And even though you love it, if I hated it, I wouldn't buy it."

"Do my ears deceive me? Is Michele Pagani admitting he loves a Lamborghini? You better hope the Ferrari Owner's Club doesn't find out. They might tar and feather you," Kara said with a chuckle.

"Not love. Respect, say. It will hit 100 in under five seconds and top out over 300. And it's a bit more practical around town then the F430. It's a good bit shorter, the all-wheel drive helps traction on wet cobblestones and that slightly more compliant suspension on those cobblestones means I won't need artificial kidneys like yours. And I do agree with you that the styling and color are beautiful and the interior on this car is magnificent. And since the HVAC, radio, and navigation system all come from an A8, they actually work. Besides, a good friend has been pestering me to sell him my 456M since I so seldom drive her now that we have the F430."

"Well I'm not going to talk you out of it if you want it as well," Kara said. "However, don't you think that being secret agents we should be driving something a bit more discreet than Ferraris and Lamborghinis?"

"This is Italy, Kara. Besides, you are a beautiful Japanese woman wearing designer clothing. The term 'discreet' is an oxymoron when applied to you," Michele said, causing Kara to blush and smile. "In fact, the more you stand out in a crowd, the better. People will remember you, but you will look so out of place that they will never connect you with the events transpiring around you. Child assassins are not new to Italy. The Mafia have used them for years. But they are all male. That is why the agency started with females. Nobody thinks of a little girl as a killer so our targets ignore them and so do the witnesses."

* * *

Michele filled out the necessary paperwork, wired the money over and arranged to have the car picked up tomorrow. They then headed back to their hotel.

"In the dealership you said we share a lot of common interests. But those are all ones you had programmed into me, aren't they?" Kara asked as they prepared for bed.

"Kara, what is the absolute magnitude of the star Aldebran in the constellation Taurus."

"I have no idea."

"How many transistors are in the PowerPC 7447B CPU in your PowerBook."

"Drawing a blank here, Michele."

"What is the maximum take-off weight of a Boeing 777-300ER at sea level in standard conditions."

"Uh…A lot? It's a big plane."

"Who won the 1986 Grand Prix of Mexico," Michele asked.

"Gerhard Berger," Kara replied, instantly.

"What was his time?"

"One hour, thirty-three minutes, eighteen point seven seconds." Again, her answer was almost immediate.

"Who had fast lap?"

"Nelson Piquet. One minute, nineteen point three-six-zero seconds on lap 64."

"What position did Piquet start from?"

"Second."

"And what was he driving?"

"A Williams-Honda FW11."

"Kara, your interests include astronomy, computers, airplanes and Formula One. Yet you could only answer the questions I asked for Formula One. That is because your interest in Formula One is one that I asked be added during your programming. Your interests in the other fields are your own, going back before you and I met and have developed subsequently to that time.

"You have, literally, an encyclopedic knowledge of Formula One from 1950 to 2004 because the medical team dumped the entire contents of the FIA Formula One statistics book for those years into your head. I wanted to be sure we had at least one…passion…we shared together to help us relate with each other in the beginning of our _fratello_. Your interest in cars is likely an offshoot of that, but I also think it's part of your personality and the relationship we have formed since becoming a _fratello_."

"When we first drove to your apartment in Milan in the 456, you looked so happy," Kara said. "There was a smile on your face as you clipped an apex on the Autostrada or accelerated hard to pass a slower vehicle. I wanted to share that joy so I studied Ferrari and Lamborghini and Maserati. When you enrolled me in carting, I began to understand what you felt when you had raced them and what you feel now when you drive hard. Driving the 456, the F430 and especially the Veyron all helped me connect with you a little bit better on that level. Thank you for letting me."

Michele merely smiled, but Kara could read him well enough that her words resonated within his spirit.

They had been given a suite with a single double bed, which was the standard in many European hotels. While the same 200cm length as a king, the width was a full 60cm less which meant they'd be sleeping nearly next to each other. While both normally slept in t-shirts and underpants, for tonight they changed into pajamas, which Michele had made a point of packing for Kara lest she "forget".

"Since I tend to get warm at night, I'll sleep on top of the covers with just the duvet and you can sleep under them plus the duvet," Michele said.

Kara nodded and slipped under all the bedsheets while Michele laid down above them, covering himself with the duvet. Over the next few minutes, and with her heart beating a bit faster then normal, Kara surreptitiously moved closer to Michele until her back was against his.

"Kara," Michele said.

"Sorry," she said, and moved away. "It's kind of hard, though, considering the width of the bed."

"Just be sure to keep under the covers," Michele ordered.

"_Hai_," she replied, and moved back.

In moments she drifted off to sleep, a content smile on her face.

* * *

**The End**


	4. The Transporter

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"_The Transporter"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

Kara walked out into the courtyard, admiring the parked two-tone blue and silver Bentley Arnage RL.

"Magnificent," she breathed as she ran her hand along the front fender.

"I thought you liked high-performance sports cars," Ferro noted as she came down the steps.

"This is a high-performance car," Kara noted.

"A six meter car that weighs…" Ferro opened.

"About three tons," Kara replied.

"…is your idea of high-performance?" Ferro finished.

"It will do 0-100km/h in about 6 seconds," Kara noted.

"Hopefully you'll be a bit kind on these old bones and keep the full-throttle launches to a minimum," Isabella D'Angelo said with a chuckle as Henrietta wheeled her over to the car.

"Of course, Madame Chairwoman," Ferro noted as she opened the door. Henrietta helped the Chairwoman into the right passenger seat and then went around to the left while Giuse collapsed the wheelchair and placed it in the trunk. Kara had been selected to drive since Michele had put her through an executive protection course, which included security and evasive driving.

"This is like sitting in an English palace," Kara muttered as she slipped behind the wheel. Every surface inside the car was swathed in creamy tan or blue leather and burled walnut wood, the switchgear gleamed in sterling silver and chrome and the wool carpeting looked inviting to the touch.

"My late husband was a firm believer in English bespoke automobile craftsmanship," D'Angelo noted. "Yet he was always a Bentley man and not Rolls Royce. I believe he, too, enjoyed the more sporting nature of Bentleys."

Kara turned the ignition key, the 6.75L V8 engine inaudible inside the car, the only indication of its presence the tachometer needle slightly moving.

"Ferro, this is Jean. Are you ready?" came the voice over her earpiece.

"Yes," Ferro said. She motioned to Kara, who put the transmission into Drive. She pressed the accelerator pedal and the three metric tons of weight effortlessly accelerated out of the Chairwoman's residence and onto the streets of Rome. Jean and Giuse tailed them in the former's Mercedes CL, Rico in the back seat.

They reached the onramp to the A1 without incident and Kara accelerated to 150km/h, staying in the right lane as much as possible to protect the Chairwoman. Their destination was Reggio Calabria, a bit over 650km south at the tip of the "boot" of Italy and the location of the Straight of Massina Bridge. The first cable between each tower was to be laid the next day and a celebratory event was planned with Chairwoman D'Angelo and other dignitaries present. Due to her physical condition, the Chairwoman needed to be driven to the event and after the attempt to kidnap her the previous year, it was decided to take her armored Bentley as it could be more easily defended.

"Do you need to rest, Chairwoman?" Ferro asked 90 minutes later as they approached Naples.

"I'm fine, thank you," Isabella replied. Ferro activated the radio. "We're continuing onto the A3."

"Acknowledged," Giuse replied. "Remind Kara that the A3 is mostly unimproved, so the PRF might make their move there."

They drove through Naples and connected to the A3, which would take them all the way to Reggio Calabria. The drive was mostly through industrial and residential areas through Salerno and on to Polla. From there, it turned into more rural and agricultural in a valley between the Pollino Mountains. Further on, the road entered the mountains and valleys of the Sila Plateau and then exited out onto the coast down to Pizo, where it cut back inland.

As they passed the Strada Statake 112 intersection at Bagnara Calabra 30km north of Reggio Calabria, a Fiat Stilo pulled out in front of them in the right lane.

"Hold on!" Kara said as she slammed on the brakes and they were all thrown forward into their shoulder belts from the deceleration.

"What the fuck were they thinking?" Ferro snarled.

A black Alfa Romeo 155 Q4 pulled alongside on the left. The passenger-side front tinted window lowered and the barrel of a Beretta PM-12S2 submachine gun swung out.

"Gun on the left!" Henrietta said and leaned towards Isabella to shield her.

A spray of 9x19mm shells impacted along the driver's side, almost literally bounced off the thick armored sides and glass. Kara swung the wheel hard to the left, knocking the Alfa into the guardrail and causing the gunman to duck inside and the driver to scramble to maintain control.

Kara hit the "Sport" button on the dash and then pressed hard on the accelerator, the Bentley surging forward on a wave of power and torque. The Stilo tried to block them, but she smashed into the back of it and literally pushed it out of the way, causing it to spin into the inside guardrail.

"Rico!" Jean yelled and lowered the right-side windows. Giuse leaned inwards to give Rico a clear shot and she cut loose with her Sig SG551 carbine, peppering the Stilo with bullets as they sped by.

While the Alfa only had half the horsepower of the Bentley, it was less then half the weight so it was able to stay close in the traffic. The assailant tried again with the Beretta, but again it had little effect, deflecting off the sloped rear window. By now the Mercedes had caught up and Rico started pouring fire into the Alfa, forcing them to break off their attack on the Bentley. Rico successfully hit the driver, causing the car to crash into the barrier and ride it, flipping onto it's side and coming to a stop in a shower of sparks. The Mercedes drove past.

"Assailants neutralized. Ferro, report," Giuse said.

"Driver is fine," Kara shouted, concentrating on threading traffic at north of 200km/h. Now that their back was clear, she slowed back down to 150.

"The package is fine. Protector is fine," Henrietta reported.

"We're fine," Ferro replied.

"Acknowledged. Pull off at the next emergency bay," Giuse ordered.

There was a rest area a few kilometers ahead and Kara pulled off and parked at the far end, Jean's Mercedes pulling up next to it. Ferro and Kara exited while Henrietta opened her door, but stayed with the Chairwoman.

Kara examined the damage, which actually wasn't too bad. The bullets had made little dents in the doors and there were paint scrapes and scratches from where she had slammed into the Alfa, but for the most part the car looked to be in good shape.

"Well done, Kara," Giuse said as he came up. Henrietta slipped out of the back and ran over to him.

"How are you, madam Chairwoman?" Jean asked as he leaned in.

"Fine, thanks to you all. Is everyone safe?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. We should be safe the rest of the way." He turned to Kara. "How's the car?"

"Mechanically and structurally sound," Kara replied. "It's fine for the rest of the journey."

"Very well, let's continue on to the hotel," Jean ordered. Kara nodded and everyone returned to their cars. The final ten kilometers to Reggio Calabria and the bridge site were without incident and the ceremony went off successfully. The drive back to Rome was quiet and shorter, both thanks to a Polizia Stradale escort, though Kara kept the Bentley's speed to 225km/h to allow the Alfa 156 Sportwagon to keep up with her.


	5. No Regrets

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"_No Regrets"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

"I want to thank you and Kara for teaching Triela to play," Hillshire noted to Michele as they watched the two girls kick a soccer ball back and forth in the dying sun of a July afternoon.

"She's really taken to it," Michele replied.

"Yes. She wants to be able to play against Mimi Machiavelli some day."

"She's Mario Bossi's daughter, isn't she?"

"Yes," Hillshire acknowledged. "Triela and I were part of the team that protected her during Mario's trial. Triela beat her in the indoor games, so Mimi challenged her to a game of soccer. They never had the chance during the mission, but now that Mario has testified, the threat to Mimi is gone."

"Odd that the Agency never had any of the girls play sports. You'd think it would be a good way to develop teamwork and camaraderie," Michele noted.

"Jean and Lorenzo are focused on results," Hillshire noted. "To them, drill and instruction are the only activities the girls need undertake."

"I'd say that was their military background, but then I came from one, as well," Michele noted. "Though I certainly lead a different life now."

"Do you miss your old life, Michele? The travel? The working with other people?" Hillshire asked a few minutes later.

"A bit, yes," Michele admitted. "Seeing new places and meeting new people was always exciting. I had a natural gift for languages and the travel I did as a young boy exposed me to France, Germany and Spain. Then when I graduated from University, my time in Formula One and the Aeronautica Militare took me all over the world. But then came the horrors of Kosovo and, well, you know the rest."

Hillshire nodded. "The world was far more evil then I thought," Hillshire said. "When I think back to my time at Interpol, I am disgusted at my naivety. That and my arrogance got a woman killed…"

"But it also brought you and Triela together," Michele noted.

"So you're saying it was fate?" Hillshire asked.

Michele shrugged. "Why did I decide to take a later train that March day in Madrid? I tell myself because I didn't want to cool my heels for an extra ten minutes at Guadalajara waiting for them to pick me up, but if I had taken that earlier train, I would have missed the explosions. I know somebody else would have rescued Kara, but I truly believe she would have died in a Spanish hospital, never regaining consciousness. Maybe Fate decreed that I took those extra few minutes in the hotel or on the walk so that I would be at that place at that time to save her.

"From what you have told me of Rachelle, maybe Fate required you two to be there to save Triela. And you succeeded in breaking the Amsterdam ring."

"There are others," Hillshire noted.

"Of course there are," Michele replied. "But as you said, the world is an evil place. One man - one agency - cannot make it good on their own. But what we and Triela and Kara do help move us towards that goal."

"At the cost of a future of their own determination."

"We didn't do that, Victor. Triela didn't choose to become the star of a snuff film. Kara didn't choose to be blown up in a terrorist bombing."

"I find myself wondering what Triela would have been if she'd been allowed to live a normal life," Hillshire noted.

"Don't. Nothing good will come of it," Michele replied.

"But when you look at Kara, don't you ever wonder what she would have been?"

"I was able to learn a great deal about Kara. She was a girl who loved cooking, computers and airplanes. A girl who liked to look at the stars at night and read books or played soccer under the sun by day. A girl who played the piano and had many friends. And I tried to save all that when she was conditioned.

"Would she have become an astronomer like her father? Or an aerospace engineer like her mother? Or would she have pursued an entirely different goal? I'll never know, because the chance to make a decision was taken away from her by those men who carried out the attack. Since I cannot give her the freedom to decide her own life, I can only try and give her a life of as few regrets as possible."

"Well, neither of us really had a choice, did we?" Hillshire stated.

"No. When I saw Kara in the hospital, I knew I could not leave her side."

"It was much the same for me when I saw Triela. Do you regret making the decision to stay?"

"Do you?"

"No," Hillshire replied.

"Me neither," Michele stated.

Triela kicked the ball to Kara, who picked it up and the two of them came over to stand next to their handlers, who reached out to embrace them, much to the girl's mutual embarrassment.

* * *

**The End**


	6. Basic Training

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"_Basic Training"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

"Good morning, Kara," Michele said as he entered her room with a Ferrari duffel bag. It was her third day since the last of her augmentation surgeries and she was now ready to be released.

"Good morning, Michele," she replied.

Michele put the bag down at the foot of the bed.

"In here are a set of clothes, a large towel and a collection of toiletries. I want you to take a shower and then change into this outfit. When you're done, report to me under the lamp we spent last Christmas at. Do you remember?"

"Yes, Michele."

Michele nodded and left. Kara hopped out of bed and headed for the shower. When she was done she dressed in the polo shirt, jeans and athletic shoes that were in the bag and then headed towards the exit. The staff at the reception desk waved at her and she stepped out into the bright Spring sun. She saw Michele sitting on the bench under the lamp and came over to him.

"Welcome to your – our - new life," he said, sweeping his hand in a wide semi-circle.

Kara nodded her head, but remained standing before him.

"Did they program you with a schematic of the complex?" Michele asked.

"Yes, Michele," Kara replied.

"You don't need to append my name to every response," Michele noted.

"Understood."

"Better. Let's head to the cyborg dorms and I can show you your room. Lead the way."

Kara nodded and they walked to the dorms. Michele gave her the room number and she climbed the steps to the third floor and walked down the hallway to the proper door.

Kara knocked twice, waited a moment, and then entered. The room was already furnished with two beds, a desk, chairs and a wardrobe and bookshelf.

"You'll be sharing this room with Ilaria Sandrelli when she's released in a few weeks. Go ahead and take the bed closest to the window. This is your half of the wardrobe. For now I bought you some t-shirts, another pair of jeans, socks and undergarments. We'll eventually shop for more outfits."

"Understood."

"Are you hungry?" Michele asked. Kara nodded her head. They made their way to the main cafeteria. The lunch service was mostly finished so the crowds were light. They both prepared plates and then took an open table next to the windows.

Kara dug in and soon cleaned her plate.

"The chefs here are pretty decent," Michele commented.

"It beats what the hospital serves," Kara noted. She excused herself and went back for a second helping before they cleared away the chafing dishes.

"The kitchens are open on Saturdays for people to prepare their own meals. I've spoken with the staff and they have agreed to allow us to use them during the week on occasion," Michele informed her.

"I'm not familiar with Italian cooking," Kara admitted. "French and Japanese are my specialties."

"And I'm familiar with Italian and German. We can each help expand the other's menu."

"I would like that," Kara replied.

After lunch, they walked around the grounds, both to allow the meal a chance to settle and to be sure that the imprinted knowledge of the compound in Kara's brain was accurate.

"Do you like to garden?" Michele asked. It was something he had not been able to discover about her during his studies.

"I don't know, to be honest," Kara replied. "I think my father might have. I remember visiting the gardens in Shimane, Japan with my grandmother when I was a little girl."

"I am not sure how well a Japanese garden would fit in," Michele chuckled. "One of the other cyborgs has a small herb garden she is starting on. There is an area nearby that I was thinking of building maybe a greenhouse."

"That sounds fun," Kara replied. They returned to Michele's room and he helped Kara set-up her PowerBook and cellphone as well as start to get to know each other a bit better.

* * *

The following day, Michele appeared at her room with another bag, this one containing a black tactical jumpsuit and a pair of German combat boots. She changed into the outfit and carried her weapons down to Michele's car. After breakfast together they drove to the outdoor firing range and Kara practiced firing the XM8 and the P2000SK until lunch.

After lunch. Michele had Kara change into athletic apparel for physical exercise and training. Since the girl's bodies were predominately artificial, for them physical exercise and training were not really meant to enhance or maintain their physical fitness and health. Instead, they were designed to test their implants and augmentation to ensure all were operating normally.

Michele had Kara start with a "warm-up" of calisthenics to ensure everything was operating normally. She then performed a 1000m run around the track followed by a serious of agility exercises to test her balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength, endurance and stamina. Michele kept her out for about two hours, then called the session to an end and she returned to her room.

* * *

Kara's days after that alternated between physical training, firearms practice, and educational instruction. All the girls were implanted with a dictionary knowledge of Italian vocabulary and grammar. Normally, the girls were sent to sit with staff and in public areas to allow them to become more familiar with the colloquial form of the language. In Kara's case, Michele wanted her to sound a bit stilted, since a Japanese foreign language student would not be surrounded by native speakers. He also had agents from Public Safety show her surveillance and espionage techniques.

Michele started teaching her _tachijutsu_ (Japanese sword arts) and Chinese martial arts to help her get used to her prosthetics. She also started taking instruction in the violin to compliment her knowledge of playing the piano and to allow her to carry her weapon in a violin case. Kara had been an Apple Macintosh user, as was Michele, but she was trained on Windows and Linux, as well including how to hack into such systems to recover information or take control of them remotely.

Kara studied hard and absorbed everything thrown at her. Michele provided equal measures of instruction and encouragement, but he was not reticent about pointing out her weaknesses, which only drove her to do better next time. As she became more familiar with her body, she started winning more bouts with her instructors. Her aim improved to the point that, while not the best sharpshooter amongst the cyborgs, she was often in the top quarter, usually in the top-third and always in the top-half.

"I'm very proud of how you're doing," Michele told her over dinner one evening, earning him a large smile.

"Soon you'll be ready for your first trip off the compound and then your first mission, so keep focusing on improving."

"Yes, sir," Kara replied.

* * *

**The End**


	7. The Cyborg Wears Prada

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"_The Cyborg Wears Prada"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

One Thursday morning during their second month as a _fratello_, Michele appeared at Kara's dorm room, dressed in a silk suit of the darkest charcoal and wearing stylish sunglasses.

Michele had called in a favor with the French DGSE, who sent one of their female agents earlier in the week to give Kara lessons in how to dress, apply makeup, sit, walk and speak like a lady.

Michele placed two boxes down on the bed. Kara went over to them and opened them. The first contained a burgundy long sleeve wrap dress with leather trim and the second contained a pair of knee-high burgundy boots.

"They're beautiful," Kara said. "For me?"

"Yes. Go ahead and try them on," Michele said, stepping out of the room. Kara removed her t-shirt and jeans and put on the dress, cinching the leather belt. She then pulled on the boots and examined herself in the mirror.

"Okay!" she called out, and Michele opened the door.

"Yes, that will do nicely," he said. "We're going out," he added and turned, Kara following after.

It was Kara's first time off the compound and she was excited. Out front of the cyborg dorm was a sleek black sports car. As she approached the passenger side, she noticed the prancing horse logo of Ferrari embroidered on the tan leather of the headrest. Michele opened the door for her and she settled in to the soft leather. She reached down and used the controls to adjust the seat to a more comfortable setting.

"What kind of car is this?" she asked.

"This is a Ferrari 456M GTA. The GT stands for _Gran Turismo_, which means it is designed to drive at high speed for long distances in excellent comfort. Personally, I feel it is one of the best cars Ferrari ever built."

Kara leaned back into the seat and watched the scenery flash by. They drove into downtown Rome and Kara marveled at the controlled chaos that was daily vehicular traffic in the capital city. Michele pulled the car into the entrance of the Hotel de Russie and parked. A valet came forward to collect the key while a doorman came forward to take the small bag Michele removed from the trunk.

As they walked into the ornate lobby, Michele went to the front desk and checked in and they were shown to their suite, which overlooked the garden. She peeked into the bedroom and saw two twin beds.

Michele motioned for Kara to have a seat on the couch and he sat down in a chair across from her.

"While we're supposed to be a _fratello_, the plain fact is that you and I will never pass as brother and sister," Michele noted. "For one thing, I am 23 years your senior. For another, you inherited your facial features from your Japanese mother."

"I'm sorry," Kara replied.

"On the contrary, your looks are an advantage. People will remember you, but they will think you an exchange student or tourist. They won't mentally connect you to any events the police may question them on. But you will need to dress attractively in addition to looking attractive.

"I chose this hotel because it is near the Via dei Condotti, which is the center of fashion shopping in Rome. The problem is what type of clothing to choose. If we go with what a normal Roman teenage girl would wear, you'd clash something fierce with my apparel and a 40-year old man with a teen-aged girl is going to draw the wrong type of attention towards us.

"While a teenaged Italian girl would not be caught dead in the types of outfits I want you to see, with the proper make-up, I believe you can pass for being in your early 20's. And I think that will make it much easier for us to operate together, since we can pass for business colleagues or a couple. I've scheduled a make-up and hair dresser service for you," Michele noted as he rose. "When they're done, we'll go shopping for more outfits."

They rode the elevator back down into the lobby and walked to the health and beauty center. Michele was waiting for Kara when she stepped out. The make-up they applied highlighted her natural features and her hair shined from the washing and conditioning treatments. Michele had ordered a full set of cosmetics and hair-care products to be prepared and sent to the room.

"You look very nice," Michele complimented.

"Thank you," Kara replied.

They exited the hotel and walked down the Via del Babuino and into the Piazza di Spanga, filled with tourists dressed for the summer weather in t-shirts, jeans and shorts. They continued on to La Fontana della Barcaccia, where they found an empty seat on the bench. The flowing water had a cooling effect and they rested for a few minutes before climbing the Spanish Steps to the Trinità dei Monti church. They then went back down the steps and crossed the Piazza to the Via dei Condotti. Kara saw plenty of men and women in fashionable outfits, however, and she understood why Michele thought such a look would be an effective one for them.

They made their way down the various stores, purchasing new outfits, shoes and accessories. The prices were eye-popping to Kara, but Michele only objected to some of Kara's style choices. They arranged for each purchase to be forwarded to the hotel and then continued on. When they reached the Via del Corso, they turned right and started back towards the Piazza del Popolo and their hotel.

"I've arranged for us to have a private dinner on the terrace at Le Jardin," Michele said, referring to the hotel restaurant. They were shown to a private table for two in a corner with views of a garden and the Piazzetta Valadier. Dusk was falling on the city and the maître lit a number of candles. Soft music played in the background and the air was filled with the sweet smell of flowers – both from the large bouquet in the centerpiece and the garden. The meal was specially prepared by the head chef and was the traditional nine courses in length. They talked of many things, but not of the compound, the Agency or their work. It was full evening by the time they finished their coffee and petit fours. They walked back to the Piazza del Popolo and admired the Roman architecture at night under the lights and listened to the cascade of water in the fountains. They then returned to the hotel and went to bed.

* * *

**The End**


	8. Devil in a Blue Chassis

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"_Devil in a Blue Chassis"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

It was "Track Day" at the Vallelunga circuit outside of Rome. Owned by the Automobile Club d'Italia, one weekend a month they opened it to the public for €200 Euro a day.

Michelle and Kara were both members of the ACI, so they could use the track on a regular basis, especially since she had received her Patente B, but they often showed up on the public day, as well, and today was no different. Michele stored his Ferrari Enzo at the circuit, which meant he had his own garage in the pit complex where they could park their cars between laps. They'd driven the F430 over, as well. They were both dressed in the Ferrari F1 racing suits they had been given by the team in Monte Carlo.

"What the heck is that?" Kara asked as a long, low blue machine pulled in two boxes down.

"That's a 1999 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster," Michele noted.

"The styling is pretty wild, so I take it this is before they were bought by Audi?"

"Yup. Chrysler owned them when they launched the model, so compared to the Countach it was a revelation in terms of quality."

"Looks fast," Kara noted.

"It had the goods. 5.7 liter V12 generating 367kW and 579 N-m of torque. Took a bit over four seconds to clear 100km/h from a standing start. Bitch to drive though."

"How so?"

"Well the clutch pedal was so heavy you needed both feet to depress it and having a friend in the car to help move the gear lever was advised," Michele noted.

"It can't be that bad," Kara said. "I'm going to go check it out."

"Ciao!" a man in his mid-thirties said as Kara approached. "What do you think?" he asked.

"It looks fast," Kara replied. "My boyfriend said it has a strong V12, but that the clutch was a bit hard," she added, turning and pointing back to Michele, who was preparing the Enzo for a run.

"Well it won't keep up with your Enzo or the F430, but in her day, the only Ferrari that could touch her was a 550 Maranello. And I think she's pretty easy to drive. How are you in the F430?"

"My best lap is a minute forty-nine," Kara replied, causing the other man to whistle. The racing models of the F430 lapped the circuit less then ten seconds faster and only about half of that was down to the car.

"Well I think I can trust you in taking a couple laps in her if you'd like to try it," the man said. He put out his hand. "Aldo Caruso."

"Kara," she replied. "And I'd love to. Let me tell my boyfriend."

Kara jogged back to Michele.

"How was it?" Michele asked.

"He's going to let me take a spin in it," Kara replied with a smile.

Michele looked at her askance. "What kind of deal did you make?"

"None," Kara replied. "He asked me my lap time in the F430 and that seemed to impress him."

"Well, okay. But take it easy. I don't want you overdriving the thing into the gravel trap or a tire wall. Weight and power are about the same and it has all-wheel drive, but it's a good deal wider then the F430 and on a much shorter wheelbase so it will handle differently. Shift 1000rpm before the redline and go easy on the clutch."

"Hai!" Kara said, tossing him a Benny Hill salute.

She went back and settled herself into the seat, adjusting it for comfort before closing the scissor door. Aldo took the right seat and gave her a quick overview of the controls and then Kara fired up the engine, the V12 barking to life. Kara waited for the gauges to stabilize before blipping the throttle a few times.

"Bet your V8 doesn't sound like that, does it?" Aldo noted with a grin.

Kara pushed in the clutch and selected first in the gated shifter. With her cyborg augmentation, both seemed easy for her. She pulled out of her spot and drove next to Michele's pit, stopping.

"Aldo Caruso, this is my boyfriend Michele Pagani. Michele, Aldo," Kara said. Since returning from Sydney, Kara often introduced Michele as her boyfriend so he didn't bat an eye when she did so now.

"Thank you for letting her try it out," Michele greeted as he shook Aldo's hand. "I bought a Gallardo Spyder back in February, but I've been a Ferrari man most of my life so that is all she's been exposed to."

"Always been a Lamborghini for me. I started with the Countach poster on the wall as a kid and in the 1990's I was able to make the dream a reality and I've been adding new ones ever since."

"Well go enjoy yourself, Kara. I'll be out shortly."

Kara nodded and drove down the pit lane to the exit. A man waved a blue flag, informing her she was okay to exit, but to beware of closing traffic.

Kara's first lap was conservative as she familiarized herself with the controls and the feel of the car. She was used to paddle-operated semi-automatic or full-automatic shifting, but her driver's training had been on a manual so she didn't have any issues with the clutch or gear.

As she came off the final corner on to the short front straight, Aldo leaned over.

"It's a Lamborghini, not a Fiat, Kara. Open her up!" he shouted. Kara nodded and picked up the pace. Ahead, she saw Michele's Enzo pull out of the pits and she floored the throttle, the car surging forward as she climbed the gears. She came up behind him in the second bend and lifted off. Michele pulled over to the inside and she accelerated to pass him on the outside and he tucked in behind her. They did two complete laps of the circuit and then Kara pulled in, Michele continuing on.

"That was awesome," Kara said. "Thank you, Aldo. That was very nice of you."

"That _was_ awesome," Aldo agreed. "You drove her like you stole her and that's how a supercar, any supercar, should be driven. The honor was ours."

Kara slipped behind the wheel of the F430 and headed out after Michele.

* * *

**The End**


	9. Thrill Ride

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"_Thrill Ride"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

"We've been tasked with a mission in Vaduz, Liechtenstein," Jean opened the briefing.

"Kick ass," Michele said. He looked to Kara and winked and she gave him a smile and two thumbs-up.

"What?" Triela asked Kara, _sotto voice_.

"I'll tell you later," she said as Jean continued with the briefing.

* * *

When the briefing was over, people started to leave. Kara stamped her feet and pounded the desk in excitement.

"Which car are we taking?" she asked Michele.

"Both, of course. I'll take the Gallardo and you the F430."

"You're the best!" she replied and pushed back her chair. Triela caught up with her on the way back to the dormitory.

"You must really like?" she asked.

"Never been there. But Michele has and he said one of his favorite driving roads runs from Milan to there. I've been itching to try it, and now we'll have a chance."

* * *

"I think just taking the E43 all the way is more efficient," Hillshire noted as the handlers enjoyed a drink in their favorite bar.

"Taking the side road over the San Bernardino Pass sounds fun, actually," Giuseppe noted. "Henrietta should enjoy herself."

"It should be awesome in a convertible. That's why I'm taking the Gallardo and leaving the Ferrari with Kara," Michele said.

"Why not just have her ride shotgun with you. Or let her drive?" Hillshire asked.

"You have to be behind the wheel to fully and properly enjoy it," Michele noted, motioning to the silver-haired proprietor for another refill.

* * *

The day of the mission came and they headed north from Rome. In addition to the Gallardo and F430, Giuseppe and Henrietta were in the former's Porsche Boxter and Jean, Hillshire, Rico and Triela were in Jean's Mercedes CL500.

As they passed Milan, they transferred from the A1 Autostrada to the A8 and took it north to the border with Switzerland, which they crossed and joined the A2 motorway. The continued north to the E43 motorway and drove to the village of San Bernardino where they pulled off and had lunch.

"Does Rico like roller coasters?" Michele asked Jean as they prepared to head out again.

"She's never been on one," Jean replied.

_Figures_, Michele thought to himself. "Would it be okay for her to come with me? She might like the twisty sections."

"Okay," Jean said.

"Can I go with Kara?" Triela asked, and Hillshire acquiesced.

Instead of getting back on the main motorway, they took the side road which wound its way up the side of the Swiss Alps in a series of curves, switchbacks, and straights. The views were incredible, looking down into the valley below.

Traffic was non-existent, since people went underneath the mountain via the San Bernardino Tunnel which allowed Michele, Kara, and Giuseppe to unwind their cars.

Rico was smiling and laughing, putting her arm out in the slipstream and "flying" her hand like a plane. Though the snows had melted at their altitude, it was still kind of cold so Michele activated the seat heaters, causing Rico to comment that "her butt was hot".

They drove past the artificial Lago Bianco and continued up into the mountains. There was a long straight a little ways past there and Kara buried her foot in the carpet, passing Michele with a wave to take the lead. The two of them chased each other north and through a series of switchbacks that climbed over the spine of the mountain range. On the other side they reached Hinterrhein where the tunnel exited and they pulled into a rest area to wait for Giuseppe and Jean to catch up with them.

"That was so awesome," Kara exclaimed once she'd exited the car. Triela came out, looking a bit unsteady in the knees.

"That was fun!" Rico said, earning her a rueful glance from Triela. Giuseppe was the next to arrive. Though the Boxster's engine was well down on power to the Lamborghini and Ferrari, it was more then capable of negotiating the twists of the last part so he and Henrietta had closed up pretty quick. After about fifteen minutes Jean's CL500 arrived and they all got back into their cars. Rico stayed with Michele and Triela with Kara and they rejoined the E43 and drove on to Vaduz, arriving in the late afternoon.

* * *

**The End**


	10. Peer Review

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"_Peer Review"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

When four _fratelli_ gathered in one area, it meant one of two things: they were there to attack a very important target or they were there to defend a very important target.

At a family-run hotel in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, it was the latter reason that brought them together.

In the 21st century, terror was a truly international business. And the heads of six European "special agencies" were gathering in the conference room at the hotel to discuss the possibility of exchanging information. They'd arrived at Zurich and then took a helicopter to Balzers on the border with Switzerland and then travelled by car the seven kilometers on the E43 to Vadur. The capital city of Liechtenstein had been chosen because it was "neutral ground" and the hotel chosen because the secluded location in a residential area and small size allowed them to book the entire facility, which made it easier to defend.

Michele adjusted his tie in the hall mirror. The deep maroon was the only splash of color against the black slacks, shirt, and jacket of his executive suit. Kara came out of the bathroom with a white button-down shirt and a beige business skirt and jacket with matching leather pumps, her HK P2000SK in the small of her back.

They stepped out of their room and headed for the suite at the end of the hall. Out front on a chair sat Rico, swinging her legs back and forth in boredom. She smiled at both as they walked past and Michele knocked twice on the door. Triela answered.

"It's Michele and Kara," she said, stepping back to let them in. Inside on the couch was Special Operations Director Monica Petris along with her two Section heads. Each group had brought one or two aides with them and since Michele had served in a liaison role in Public Safety, he'd been chosen to be Monica's aide and Kara would accompany them as well.

"I'll see you two at lunch," Monica noted to Draghi and Lorenzo and rose. She headed for the door and Michele and Kara fell into step behind her. Jean had appeared next to Rico, who was now standing, and he and Director Petris exchanged a nod of the head as they passed. Monica, Michele and Kara went downstairs and into the main meeting room. The far side of the conference room was large floor-to-ceiling windows so the shades had been drawn and portable bullet-resistant panels had been erected.

Introductions were made, pleasantries exchanged, food and drink items secured and seating locations determined, after which everyone sat down and got to work.

* * *

Everyone broke for lunch at noon in the main dining room. Again, the curtains had been drawn and people spread out around the tables. Outside, multiple security teams patrolled the grounds, but all reported no contacts.

"So how goes it?" Giuseppe asked Michele as they enjoyed a gourmet lunch. Directors Petris, Draghi and Lorenzo were dining with his brother.

"Eh," Michele replied. "So far they've mostly been discussing the problem and not the solution. Hopefully we'll see some movement during the second session."

"Well they're scheduled to be on their way back to their planes tonight so…" Giuseppe noted.

* * *

At 13:00, the conference began again and continued on until 17:00 when they formally adjourned.

"So, was this trip worth it?" Giuseppe asked Michele in the parking lot as people loaded into their cars.

"I think so. Some serious progress was made, though I expect a few more video conferences will be needed before a final deal is struck."

Giuseppe nodded and joined Henrietta in his Porsche while Jean, Hillshire, Rico and Triela climbed into Jean's CL500. Jean followed the Citroën C6 that carried the three Special Operations directors to the heliport at Balzers and then headed on towards Rome.

Kara and Michele slipped behind the wheel of their respective cars and also headed out, followed by Giuseppe and Henrietta. Where the Mercedes would follow the E43 and E35 south back into Italy to Milan, the Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche were taking a much longer route, also going south along the E43, but branching east at Mastris to follow Swiss Road 28 through Davos and on to Susch and then south to Zenez. Both traffic and police presence were non-existent and all three took full advantage to stretch the legs of their cars.

Unfortunately, the Stelvio Pass was still covered in winter's snow, denying them the opportunity of following what many considered the best driving road in Europe. That road encompassed sixty hairpin turns over a vertical distance of almost 1900m. It was immensely challenging, as most of the road was lined with low stone walls that would not stop a car going off the edge.

The three instead continued south from Zenez on Road 27, skirting the western edge of Schweizer Nationalpark to connect with Road 3 which took them southwest along the shoreline of multiple lakes and through twisting mountain passes to the border crossing at Castasegna. Swiss Road 3 became Italian State Highway 37 at that point and they drove through beautiful forest to the Lake Como, switching to State Highway 36 for the drive into Milan where they met up for dinner with the others. Michele and Kara spent the night at the former's apartment while the others stayed in a hotel.

In the morning, they all drove back to Rome.

* * *

**The End**


	11. The Honey Trap

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"_The Honey Trap"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

_**Honey Trap:**__ Slang for the use of men or women in sexual situations to intimidate or snare others. This use of sex to trap or blackmail an individual is standard practice in intelligence operations._

_

* * *

_

Kara sat on a stool in the coffee shop of the Papal food court at the Vatican Museum, sipping a cappuccino. She was dressed in a button-down white shirt with the top buttons undone hanging over a dark plaid skirt with a black school uniform jacket. Around her neck was a loosely fitted silk tie.

A young and attractive man took the stool next to her, placing his espresso on the counter.

"Konnichi wa," he greeted.

"Konnichi wa," Kara replied, smiling and bobbing her head in the way many Japanese girls did when they were surprised.

"I take it you are attending a private school?" he asked, continuing in Japanese.

"Yes, St. John's International," Kara replied.

"Ah, your father is a diplomat?"

"Yes. He is the new Cultural Attaché at the Embassy," Kara replied.

"What year?" he asked.

"Year Five," Kara replied. She looked around 18 to Gian, which fit a girl in Year Five of Medie Superior.

"Are you on a field trip?"

Kara shook her head.

"I am studying the art in the museum for a paper," she replied. "It is half term week so I am spending my afternoons here. I am waiting for the rain to stop then I will head to the Metro station."

The young man nodded his head, taking a sip of his espresso. The February weather was living down to its nickname of "corto e maledetto – short and cursed", with the past week being cold and wet.

"Your Japanese is quite good," Kara complemented.

"Thank you," he replied. "I spent a year at ICU in Mitaka."

"Ah, I know of ICU," Kara said, again with the slight bob of her head and smile.

"Gian Bosio," he introduced himself with a slight bow.

"Shiratori Yuki," Kara replied, with a deeper bow.

"How long have you been in Rome?" Gian asked, switching to English. St. George's was a British institution so he correctly deduced that Kara spoke English.

"Just after the new year. My father wanted to enroll me in Catholic school, however they were full. The Ambassador secured an appointment to St. Georges since many diplomats send their children there."

"I would think Catholics are kind of rare in Japan," Gian opinioned.

"Our numbers are very small. Only about a half-million," Kara noted. "My family is part of the Archdiocese of Tokyo. St. Mary's Cathedral is the largest in Japan, but you could fit the entire building inside some of the cathedrals here in Italy."

She looked outside again and saw that the rain had stopped.

"I'm sorry, but I must leave now to catch the train," she said.

"Perhaps I will see you here tomorrow?" Gian asked.

"Yes, I come here tomorrow at the same time," she answered. She left the coffee shop and looked back at Gian, who waved. She returned the wave and then headed for the Cipro Metro station. She boarded the train and rode it to Termini station. She walked out of the main concourse and into the parking lot, getting into Michele's Gallardo.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Perfect," Kara replied, giving him a thumbs-up.

* * *

The following day, Gian was waiting at a table in the coffee shop when Kara appeared. She placed her order and then took a seat next to him.

"How was the museum?" he asked in Italian.

"The quality and quantity of art…it boggles the mind," Kara replied, also in Italian. "But there is so much to see and learn."

"I'd be happy to take you on a tour tomorrow. I've lived in Rome all my life so I have been coming here since I was a child."

"I would not want to trouble you," Kara said.

"It would be my pleasure," Gian said, turning up the charm.

"I would very much appreciate it," Kara said. "Tomorrow is my last day of studying, so I could use your help in what to see. I will meet you here tomorrow at one o'clock?"

"It's a date."

* * *

Kara met Gian at one o'clock and they walked all thirteen sections. Gian proved to be quite knowledgeable about the museums, providing insights and commentary that Kara found surprising for someone whom she'd been told was a common thug. They stayed right until closing time at 18:00.

Gian invited Kara to have dinner with him and she accepted, first calling her "father" to let him know she was staying late to have dinner. Gian took her to a small restaurant near the Museums whose owners he seemed familiar with and they shared an amazing seafood dinner.

When they were done, Gian offered to take her back to the Embassy, but Kara explained that she hadn't told her father she was seeing someone. So she accepted a ride to the bus stop just down the street from the Embassy.

"Thank you for today," Kara said. "I had a lot of fun and it really helped me."

"If you are free this weekend, I'd be happy to help you write your report if you like," Gian offered. "My apartment is in the Garbatella district overlooking the Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura. We could meet at Basilica station."

"Thank you, I'd like that," Kara replied. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and then exited the car. She gave him a wave and then walked towards the Embassy.

Both France and Japan were "jus sanguinis" states, meaning that when she had been Kumari Deleroux Rosier, she held both French and Japanese citizenship from her father and mother, respectively. France allowed dual citizenship as did Japan, though only to age 22 in the latter case. With the legal recording of her "death", both those passports had been invalidated. However, her old Japanese passport shown at the main gate to the Embassy granted her entry where she was met by the actual Cultural Attaché, who also served as the resident member of the Foreign Ministry's Intelligence and Analysis Service.

He escorted her to the back of the building and into a Ford Transit Connect van in Telecom Italia livery. Inside Michele was waiting and she gave her report on the drive back to the compound.

* * *

"Come in!" Kara said as she pulled on her boots.

The door opened and Michele stepped in. As soon as he saw Kara, he just stopped. "You're going to freeze to death," he noted.

Kara was dressed in a black miniskirt with a grey horizontal stripe and a white short-sleeved t-shirt.

"Bosio is attracted to sexy Asian women," Kara noted. Michele only nodded and waited for Kara to finish. She was not going armed since she could protect herself with her bare hands.

"You're wearing underwear, right?" Michele asked as they walked out to the Gallardo. Since the sun was out, the top was retracted.

Kara cocked her head to one side, a confused look on her face.

"Of course I am…" she said.

"How are you going to get into the seat in a skirt that short without flashing your underwear?"

Kara grinned at him, causing Michele to frown.

"Watch," she said.

Michele expected her to go into the passenger side, since there would be more room to maneuver, but instead she went to the driver's side door and opened it. She sat down perpendicular to the seat with her legs tightly held together and the soles of her boots flat to the ground. She then lifted both legs, still together, and rotated her body ninety degrees to the right, lifting her legs over the sill of the car, scissoring her boots against her thighs to keep her legs tightly together. Once she was properly seated, she unclasped her legs and put her feet on the throttle and dead pedal, her skirt just long enough to hide her panties from view.

Michele could only slowly clap and headed for the passenger seat.

"Maybe I'll wear this when we go out this weekend," Kara suggested as they drove towards Termini Station.

"Please don't," Michele said.

"You don't like it?" Kara asked.

"On the contrary, but the plain fact is you are just under half my age and at best you look a bit over half my age. And if people saw you in that outfit on my arm, they'd think two words about me – 'midlife crisis'. Add in the Gallardo it looks even more obvious.

"I don't want people to see you as a sex object meant to make me feel young again. You are not a trophy to be displayed to the masses as a sign of my virility. And I don't want a person to think you're with me because I'm some rich sugar daddy who keeps you in the latest trendy fashions.

"That you often now introduce me as your boyfriend when we're not on an assignment tends to raise people's eyebrows, but while you dress very well, you also dress conservatively, admittedly because I draw the line at a certain point on the outfits I will get for you. So people hopefully look at us as two people of different ages who are attracted to each other for reasons other then me trying to regain my lost youth or you as trying to gain the latest Dolce Gabbana dress."

"I don't want you to ever be uncomfortable when you look at me. Or to worry that other people would be uncomfortable looking at me," Kara stated. "But I just don't think a t-shirt and Ugg boots over jeans would work for Bosio."

The arrived at Termini Station and she performed the reverse of the maneuver she did to get in the car. She noticed that many men and women looked at her, then the car, and then Michele. Most shook their heads, but she saw a few wistful looks from some of the men.

_Let them get stuffed_, she thought. She gave Michele a kiss on the cheek and a cute wave and proudly strutted towards the entrance, her laptop bag over her shoulder.

* * *

When she exited the Basilica di San Paolo station, she saw Gian Bosio waiting nearby. She was pleased when she saw the look of surprise and then approval on his face as she came up.

"You look magnificent," he said.

"Thank you," she replied. "In Japanese it is called 'seifuku ga jama wo suru'. In Italian, it would be 'my school uniform gets in the way'. Having to wear a school uniform five days a week makes me long to wear less…restrictive…clothing during the weekends. To look more adult and less like a high school girl."

Gian nodded his head. "Well you are very beautiful whether you are in your uniform or not."

Kara blushed and smiled shyly. Gian put out his hand and Kara took it in her own. They walked west along the Via Colossi to a multi-story apartment complex on the corner with the Via Filippi. Gian used a key to unlock a metal gate and Kara followed him in. They walked through a courtyard into the lobby area and rode the elevator up to the top floor.

Gian had a corner unit with a view of the Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura and the Tiber River. The apartment was clean and organized with simple furnishings.

They spent the next few hours working on the report, chatting about various subjects, and other things. They made dinner together and ate it over candlelight and wine. Afterwards, they moved to the couch and before Gian could make his move, Kara made hers and leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. She pressed up against him as she wrapped her arms around him and Gian responded by doing the same. When they pulled away from each other, Kara suddenly struck him under the chin and he collapsed forward into her arms, unconscious. She reached for her laptop bag and removed a syringe, injecting a sedative into his body. She then texted a number on her cell and went into the bathroom to wash her face and lips.

* * *

An Iveco Daily commercial van with Italenergia livery was parked in back of the Lazio Regional administration complex. Kara's cellular phone constantly broadcast its position via both GPS and cellular tower triangulation, so they knew her exact location. Her text indicated to them that she had incapacitated Bosio and they could now arrive.

Alfonso started the van and they drove to the apartment complex, parking in a loading zone. Michele, Ferro and Giorgio all exited the van, dressed in Italenergia uniforms and carrying boxes with them. They climbed the stairs to Bosio's apartment and knocked on the door in a pre-arranged pattern. Kara opened the door and they entered.

"Great work, Kara," Michele said. The four worked quickly to examine the apartment, using electronic sweeping equipment to check for any security devices or hidden cubbyholes.

Kara looked down at the unconscious Bosio.

"You okay?" Michele asked as he came up next to her. She nodded, but she reached for his hand. "He doesn't look like a criminal," she noted.

"That's what makes him so dangerous. He's very careful to cover his tracks. Public Safety and Section One have been after him for over a year, but we just couldn't connect him to anything until recently."

"So what will happen to him?" Kara asked.

"First the medical team is going to wipe his memories of you. Then Section One's interrogators will spend some time with him. After that, I don't know and I don't much care."

* * *

**The End**


	12. Thousand Smiles

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

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* * *

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**"_Thousand Smiles"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

It was approaching noon on Thursday, May 11 as Michele maneuvered the black 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport cabriolet onto the grounds of the Brescia Trade Fair, which was serving as the Paddock for the 2006 Mille Miglia.

Italian for "Thousand Miles", it was originally an open-road endurance race that ran from 1927 to 1940 and then again from 1947 to 1957. As a race it had ended in 1957 and became a rally until 1961. In 1977, it was revived as the _Mille Miglia Storica_ as a three-day parade on public roads for cars manufactured on or before 1957. The Storica followed the route of the 1954-1957 Mille Miglia, which were all public roads. An extensive police presence ensured that the competitors had the right of way on the roads.

Michele and the Alfa's owner had run the car in the 2004 Mille Miglia and the owner graciously loaned it to Michele for he and Kara to use this year. They underwent administrative and technical checks and received their event number and road-book. Once the paperwork was completed, they visited the Mille Miglia Museum.

They took the shuttle to their hotel and changed into evening attire for mass in the cathedral at 17:00 and then killed time before the Gala Dinner at 21:00. At 22:00 they took the shuttle back to their hotel and went to bed, though Kara kept Michele up for another hour discussing the route.

* * *

After breakfast they drove the Maserati to the Piazza dell Loggia for the formal "sealing ceremony" and to allow the public an opportunity to view the assembled cars. It was a tradition that school children along the route were given the day off during the Friday of the Mille Miglia so they filled the square and lined the roads.

At 10:00 the bishop gave his blessing to the contestants and lunch dinner was held at the Museum at 17:30. At 19:30 the first of 375 cars started to roll out in 20-second intervals for the city of Ferrara via Verona and Ostiglia. The route ran 191km and was strictly timed to take a specific period to complete. There were multiple Time Checks and if you arrived before or after that time you were penalized points.

Michele had Kara drive as much of the route as possible a week prior in the Gallardo, but there were many areas that were normally closed to vehicular traffic that were open to the Mille Miglia. Still, she felt comfortable she could maintain a steady time and they had portable GPS and race chronometers to help. The sun had set by the time it was their turn to go. Kara moved the column-mounted gear lever into first and slowly motored forward as the bishop sprinkled them with holy water. The 2433 cc straight-six motor growled as they pulled out onto the circuit.

The drive through the night was spellbinding, the streets lined with people and the buildings and streets all lit up for the event. The burgundy leather seats had flat cushions and backs, but they were thickly padded and the car's suspension was forgiving of rough roads.

Between the GPS and the chronometers, they minimized the points lost at the time checks. They pulled into Ferrara and parked the car in the appropriate area. They then retired to their hotel room for the evening for they had an early morning.

* * *

After a continental breakfast, Michele and Kara returned to their car to prepare for departure. Their excellent timing had moved them up the charts so they were towards the front when the first cars started rolling at 08:00 for the second-longest leg: 523km through Gambettola, the Republic of San Marino, Gola del Furlo, Assisi, Spoleto and on to Rome. This leg was planned to take just under twelve hours to complete, including a lunch break in the commune of Sansepolcro.

The segment from Gambettola to San Marino was quite challenging, even at the leisurely 50km/h limit. The road had many bends and curves and they drove through the centers of communes and villages that were normally off-limits to vehicular traffic. The mid-May weather was beautiful as they drove, though as they climbed into the mountains the clouds descended and it began to get colder. Fortunately, it neither rained nor snowed so they could keep the top down, though they cranked up the heater.

They lost a bit more time on this longer stage, but still arrived in Rome very close to their expected time. While Michele mostly enjoyed the landscape unwinding around them, Kara's focus was on the driving, both because she loved the feel of the Alfa and because her competitive nature compelled her to do as best as possible. The arrival in Rome was a staged event to allow spectators to see the cars as they drove through the city's streets to a garage in the Villa Borghese where they would spend the night under guard until tomorrow's final stage.

* * *

The shuttle services from the hotels started at 05:00 so most competitors were already up and ready to go by then. Kara's driving had moved them into the top 25 so they departed before 07:00. The final stage ran from dawn till dusk, travelling through Ronciglione, Radicofani, Siena, Firenze, Passo della Raticosa, Bologna and Cremona before ending back in Brescia. In addition to the main drive, there were five extra time trial stages varying from one to four kilometers in length. The commune of Ronciglione held a huge Saturday carnival for the Mille Miglia which required extra care while driving, as did the narrow streets of Radicofani, which were just wide enough to allow the cars to fit through.

Despite the laid-back pace, the _Mille Miglia Storica_ was an endurance race and climbing the steep hills from Cianti towards Siena stressed all the components of the car. It was here that the largest number of breakdowns happened, but the little Alfa soldiered on without incident. With 71kW of engine power, Kara had kept her foot down a good portion of the climb to maintain the pace so they fueled the car as well as themselves at Monte Riggioni.

It was twilight as they approached Brescia and night-fall by the time they rode down the Viale Venezia and the Grand Avenue Prince Alezzi to the cheers of the crowds lining both routes. They pulled in to the paddock around 23:00, tired but invigorated from the drive. They had dinner with a few other contestants and Kara talked animatedly about the drive so far and her experiences.

* * *

The Award Ceremony began at 11:00 in the Grand Theatre. The winners were _Storica_ veterans and this was the eighth _Storica_ win and the second for their BMW 328 MM Coupè, which had also won the 1940 race.

Thanks to Kara's determination, they'd moved from 123rd to 18th overall, which not only impressed Michele, but most everyone else since Kara was a Mille Miglia rookie. They were also the fifth-ranked amongst Alfa Romeos, ninth-ranked amongst Sports Cars and Kara was the second-ranked female driver and the top-ranked Japanese driver (there had been six other Japanese drivers, one of whom was female).

On the drive back to Milan, Kara sat in the passenger seat, admiring the trophy in her lap.

"I am immensely proud of you, Kara," Michele said. "Your performance was amazing. Did you have fun?"

"Oh yes," Kara replied, looking at him with a huge smile. "It was everything I had hoped and more. We're going to need an older car next year, however, so we can get a better starting spot and coefficient to maximize our points. And I think we should bike through the communes and villages with a tape measure, since I am sure I lost some time worrying about clearances. And just knowing the course now should help."

"Kara, the point is to have a good time. To relax and admire the countryside and the architecture and engage the fans along the route."

"Sure, sure," Kara said, but Michele could tell her mind was on doing even better next year. He merely smiled. _As long as she was happy…_

_

* * *

_

**The End**


	13. Out of the Blue

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

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**"_Out of the Blue"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

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The Rubino Micalizzalo Ferrari F430 pulled up to the front entrance of Saturnus, one of the hottest nightclubs in Milan. The valet opened the driver's side door while one of the bouncer's came forward to open the passenger door and Kara and Ilaria both stepped out, the former in a Alberta Ferretti asymmetric dress in metallic copper silk and black Yves St. Laurent patent leather dress boots while the latter wore the latest Versace miniskirt in black leather with a black Dolce & Gabbana sleeveless t-shirt and Christian Louboutin evening sandals in black satin. Ilaria's short black locks were hidden below a high-quality blonde wig and Kara's front bangs were edged in pink gel as were the strands falling forward over her shoulder. She also wore special contacts that turned her natural brown eyes a natural-looking shade of blue.

"Take care of her," Kara said to the valet, slipping him a €100 bill. Ilaria did the same to the bouncer and he escorted both through the door and into the club. They didn't need to do either – a modern Ferrari was guaranteed a prominent spot and two beautiful women wearing €3000+ outfits with thousands more Euro in jewelry were guaranteed access – but by doing so both staffers would remember them favorably.

Located in a former warehouse in the Bovisa suburb north of the city center, Saturnus was named after the Roman god of agriculture and the harvest as well as the sixth planet of the solar system. The club was quite large at close to 2500m2 and the three upper levels were designed as vertically stacked concentric rings. The first floor had the largest diameter, with the second floor fitting inside the open zone of the first floor and the third floor fitting inside the open zone of the second.

A staircase at the cardinal point of each ring allowed access to the ring below it and they were each oriented 90° opposite each other to allow an even flow of traffic between each ring and to speed emergency evacuations. The inner and outer edge of each ring had a wall one and a half meters tall of clear high-strength polycarbonate with the upper half meter angled out at 25° to help support anyone thrown against it to prevent them from spilling over. The first ring was composed of tables and chairs with open areas near the stairs for people to congregate and look down onto the stage and main floor. The second floor was more exclusive, with booths as well as tables. The third floor was the most exclusive, reserved for VIPs and invited guests, the staircases secured with club staff.

On the ground floor, a large circular shallow pool stood in the center. The DJ booth and main stage were located here, accessed by a causeway. Buried in the pool were colored lights and low-pressure water jets and overhead was scaffolding holding dozens of spot, ambient and strobe lights along with green and blue lasers which created patterns through smoke eddies. Around the pool was the dance floor, though there was an additional VIP area for "spillover" from the third ring or for patrons who did not wish to be located on the third ring for security reasons.

Kara and Ilaria paid the cover charge at the front and received both brightly colored green plastic armbands and a stamp of a sickle that would fluoresce under ultraviolet light. Next was the security station where their handbags were searched and they were scanned with hand-held metal detectors and patted-down.

As they stepped out onto the dance floor, they were assaulted by Narcotic Thrust's "Waiting for You" from walls of Funktion One Blue Box speakers. While they felt the overpressure from the sound waves, the actual decibel level was not uncomfortable and they could clearly hear the lyrics being sung by Yvonne John-Lewis.

"Did you see him?" Kara asked Ilaria as they walked towards the main bar area.

"Yes. About fifth in line. Purple silk shirt and black jeans. Red hair and black leather bomber jacket," Ilaria reported.

"Could you make eye-contact?"

"A smile, a wink and a wave," Ilaria replied, performing all three for Kara as she ticked them off.

It would have been a simple matter for Ilaria to indicate she wanted the gentleman to be allowed in with them, but that would have placed them together and the plan was for Federico Panicucci to not leave the club alive.

The girls each secured drinks at the bar and took up station near the entrance, casually holding hands to discourage approach by the scores of single men stalking the edges of the dance floor like hyenas at a watering hole.

Soon enough, Federico could be seen entering the club and Kara broke away from Ilaria, merging into the crowd heading from the bar area to the dance floor.

Ilaria stepped forward, intercepting Federico before someone else could snag him. His face lit-up when he saw her and for just a moment she could let herself forget that this attractive twenty-something before her was responsible for bombs that had killed dozens and maimed scores more.

She handed him a cold Menabrea Ambrata beer before nursing a sip of her own Menabrea 150° anniversario.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"You look like a fellow Piedmontese," Ilaria said. The Birra Menabrea brewery was located in the town and commune of Biella in Piedmont. In truth, she'd seen enough surveillance pictures of him to know that Birra Menabrea was his preferred brand and Menabrea Ambrata was his preferred lager.

"Where in Piedmont are you from?" he asked.

"Turino," Ilaria replied.

"A beautiful city. I am from Cuneo, so we are neighbors!" he exclaimed. Ilaria knew he was born and raised in Acqui Termin, a small commune in the province of Alessandria that had the province of Asti between it and Turin. She figured he was just trying to find a "point of commonality" between them and she was happy to let him.

"I wasn't sure I was interpreting your signals correctly," he noted.

Ilaria gave him a dazzling smile. "Am I coming through now?" she asked, rubbing her thigh against his.

"Loud and clear," Federico replied. "Where is your friend?"

"Ladies Room," Ilaria replied.

"She is Asian?" Federico commented.

"Japanese. Her name is Kara," Ilaria replied. "We met at university here in Milan."

"Ah. And may I ask your name?"

"Ilaria."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ilaria. I am Federico."

Ilaria was surprised he used his real first name, but she concluded that both knew this was a one-night engagement and the chances of them crossing paths again was remote.

"Shall we grab a table?" Federico offered and Ilaria nodded. They swooped in behind a vacating couple and Federico snagged a third chair for Kara.

"So you and Kara live and work here?"

"Yes. She is an architect with the Renato Sarno Group and I am an interior designer. We share a place in Porta Vigentina."

"RSG? Very impressive. Well that explains the Gallardo and your outfits," Federico noted. "I am surprised such wealthy and attractive women do not have boyfriends," he added.

"At the time we prefer to keep our options…open," Ilaria replied with another wink. Under the table she rubbed her boot against his leg.

A few moments later Kara appeared.

"Hello," Kara greeted with a bow. She gave her head a small sharp shake in the direction of Federico while slightly widening her eyes.

"Kara, meet Federico. Federico, this is Kara."

"Pleased to meet you," Kara said.

"Did you meet anyone interesting?" Ilaria asked. Kara shook her head, but smiled. "Second try is the charm, do not the American's say?"

"Should we join your friend on the dance floor?" Federico offered and Ilaria responded in the affirmative by draining her bottle.

When the DJ moved from dance to trance, Kara winked to both of them and moved off into the crowd. As "Out of the Blue" started by System F, Ilaria noted she had to go to the bathroom and they started to dance their way towards the edges where the light was less. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards a table.

"Be right back," Illaria said with a wanton look in her eyes. Fixated on watching her, Federico didn't see Kara come up behind him, a small plastic applicator palmed in her right hand. She reached up and pressed it into the back of his neck, activating a ceramic needle that injected a powerful laboratory-synthesized batrachotoxin into his bloodstream. This had an immediate and deleterious effect on his peripheral nervous system, resulting in almost immediate paralysis followed by cardiac and respiratory failure. To anyone giving him a casual glance, he looked like he was passed out.

Kara placed her foot on a chair, slipping the applicator into a pouch around her leg inside her boot. She then joined Ilaria at the front where the valet just handed them their keys, the Ferrari being parked right out front. They started the car and calmly drove away, heading for Michele's apartment across from the Parco Solari. They parked in Michele's spot and made their way to his apartment.

* * *

"_Tadaima_!" she called out as she reached the ground floor, using the Japanese word for "I'm back".

"We're out on the deck," Michele called. They walked across the living room, the soles of Kara's boots on the hardwood floor echoing in the tall ceiling. They stepped out onto the semi-private patio in back to find Michele and Danilo Sandrelli, Ilaria's handler, enjoying a bottle of wine.

"Mission accomplished," Ilaria noted, pulling up a chair and reaching for a wine glass. Michele grabbed the bottle and started pouring, followed by a second glass for Kara.

Kara sat down and partly pulled off her boot to remove the holster strapped to her leg. She placed it in a metal box on the table, closing and locking the lid.

"Amazing stuff," Kara noted. "Frighteningly so."

Michele nodded and the four clinked glasses to the passing of one Federico Panicucci, resident of Acqui Termin, drinker of Menabrea Ambrata beer and PRF terrorist.

* * *

**The End**


	14. Specchio Rotto

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

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**"_Specchio Rotto" [Broken Mirror]_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

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_**Author's Note: **__The story below is drawn from a chapter of the sequel to __Past Forward__. I know at least one other author wrote a story told from the perspective of the "villains" and since I'm nowhere near ready to tell the story from the side of Kara and Claes, I thought I'd take a shot (excuse the pun) at telling the story from the side of those on the receiving end of the SWA's operatives._

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The beige decade-old 5-door Fiat Uno motored down State Highway 6, its 1.4-liter turbo diesel clattering loudly to move the car and four passengers at 80km/h, belching occasional clouds of black smoke. The driver of the car, Stefano, rolled down the window to help ventilate the smell of unwashed bodies from the cabin. The person next to him, Marcello, had showered that morning, but the two passengers in the back row – Agnolo and Nicola – had spent the past 80 hours in transit by bus and train and their clothes reeked of stale sweat and cheap tobacco. All four were dressed in a "working man's garb" of denim pants, long-sleeved shirts of heavy cotton in various colors or plaids and windbreakers or worn leather jackets with scuffed and mud-caked work boots.

Stefano and Marcello had been friends since childhood, growing up in the commune of Carmagnola, located 29km south of Turin. Like much of Piedmont, Carmagnola saw explosive demographic growth during the 1960's thanks to a move towards industrialization. Their fathers worked in the FIAT plant in the city and both sons, rather then following the Liceo concept, which led to university, instead joined the "Istituto Professionale" which prepared them for moving directly into the workforce upon graduation. Unfortunately, in their fifth and final year, FIAT closed the huge Lingotto car factory and while jobs remained, competition for them was fiercer so both spent a few years working in garages and such before they were hired as assemblers at the Mirafiori plant in Turin.

Nicola also worked at the Mirafiori plant, as a quality-control technician for Lancia. He met Stefano and Marcello at a Piedmontese Union party political rally in the mid-1980s and the three became fast friends. When Gipo Farassino broke away to ally with Umberto Bossi's Lega Lombarda party, the three men went with him. When Lega Lombarda merged with Lega Nord in 1991, the three were introduced to Agnolo, who was a regional secretary in Lega Nord and the son of a winemaker in Cuneo whose business had been damaged (in his mind) by government efforts to promote winegrowing in regions in southern Italy, even though many of these regions had been cultivating grapes since before the Roman Empire.

All three had been caught up in the labor unrest during the chairmanship of Paolo Fresco and were especially worried when he signed a partnership with the American company General Motors which would allow them to buy the company in four years, a fear shared by many within and without Fiat Auto. They saw the industrial centers of Turin and other northern cities start to recede under what they felt were unfair taxes to support the central and southern regions of Italy. Even FIAT was now building plants in the southern regions, taking jobs away from the north or forcing them to leave their homes and families to remain employed. As such, they were all amicable to the fear mongering the groups that would eventually become the Padania Republican Faction were preaching.

When the car reached the suburb of Finocchio, it turned off onto route SP67a. To either side were rows of single-family housing and small apartment buildings. As they continued southeast, the housing tracts gave way to farm tracts. They turned on a road that had a number of single homes spaced out with an area given over to farming behind them. They pulled up to a small two-story home and parked in the small drive that ran up beside the house.

Stefano activated the hatch release and Agnolo and Nicola both removed small suitcases that showed the effects of years of travel. Marcello went to the front door and rapped his knuckles against it in a specific pattern and counted to seven before opening it slowly. Agnolo and Nicola both shuffled in behind him and Stefano locked the car before following, stopping to make a quick sweep of the street and the houses across the way.

The quickness of his sweep made him miss the glint of sunlight momentarily reflected off a spotting scope as it was hastily withdrawn behind a curtain on the third house down across the street.

* * *

Inside the house, all the shades were drawn, leaving the house in perpetual twilight. Low-wattage bulbs provided weak pools of illumination and the lack of open windows or doors meant the air was musty with the smell of smoke, old food, sweat…and fear.

Two thousand and five had been a trying year for those seeking the independence of the northern Italian regions. The Milan cell had been totally wiped out, leaving the PRF leaderless in their largest and most important city. Similar strikes had weakened the Venice and Bologna cells, leaving the movement in disarray. The return of Giacomo Dante and his audacious mission in Venice had stirred the fires in the faithful, but it had also resulted in an even tougher crackdown that sent many members into hiding or out of the country.

However, some had been inspired by Dante's words and actions to try and perform their own "great acts". The six men assembled in this house were some of them. A large man rose up from the couch and shuffled over, favoring one leg. He was tall with a prominently receding hairline. He too was dressed in jeans, though his polo shirt strained against the muscles of his chest and forearms.

"Welcome, brothers!" he greeted in a warm and deep voice.

"Thank you, Signore Peretti," Nicola said.

"Please, call me Damiano."

"How was your trip?"

"Long and arduous, Signore, but struggle is our life, is it not?" Agnolo replied. He and Nicola had travelled from Macedonia where they had secured explosives.

Damiano Peretti was the leader of this PRF cell. In the 1990's he'd been a professor of history at the University of Bologna and while he was more favorable towards the socialist and communist parties of Italy, he had not been a radical. However, that didn't matter to the Carabinieri trooper from the 5° Btg. ("Emilia Romagna") who had charged him and shattered his kneecap, femur, and cheek with his baton during a peaceful demonstration. During his hospital recuperation, Damiano had met others wounded by the government's security forces and had been introduced to the PRF. Damiano was not a violent man by nature and as a professor of history he was well familiar with "The Years of Lead" – the violent terrorism engaged by both extremes of the political spectrum, in part orchestrated by NATO under Operation Gladio. However, as a professor of history he also knew that Italy's political system was inherently unstable with almost as many governments as years since 1945. As such, he felt that an independent and stable northern Italy might serve as a model for the rest of the country to reform and stabilize.

"Ernesto! The packages have arrived!" he yelled.

A short and thin man with a pinched nose and close-set eyes shuffled out of the kitchen area. He wore khaki pants and a grey t-shirt and had the hands of a jeweler and watchmaker – which he had been prior to his current occupation as bomb-maker.

Unlike the others, Ernesto was not driven by politics or a desire for autonomy. An Ashkenazi Jew whose family had lived in Venice since the late Middle Ages, working in the printing industry before eventually moving into banking and other areas. The last few generations had been jewelers and watchmakers and Ernesto had gone to university to learn electronics to allow him to fix modern timepieces. While there, he had found a strong interest in and aptitude for chemistry and physics. When he performed his mandatory military service, this interest and aptitude had resulted in his serving in a combat engineering unit, specializing in demolitions.

For him, bomb making was an art. He felt any idiot could wrap a couple sticks of dynamite together with an alarm clock, but he abhorred such crude devices and their indiscriminate effects. Instead, he used advanced military and commercial explosives in linear shaped charges designed to focus the explosive effect in a particular direction. This minimized "collateral damage" and none of the dozen bombs this cell had created and detonated had resulted in any deaths, even though they had created significant damage to government buildings and transportation structures.

Agnolo indicated the suitcase with the explosives and Ernesto came forward, slowly unzipping it and rifling through the clothes until he came to the explosives, which were shaped like candles and wrapped in scented wax to throw-off canines and customs officials. He removed the plastic and used a pocketknife to cut away some of the wax to reveal the explosives below.

"Excellent," he said, his voice high and reedy.

"It is sufficient quality and quantity for the mission?" Damiano asked and Ernesto nodded his head.

"Excellent," he said, nodding his head in approval.

"Agnolo, Stefano, you have both done well. You must be tired from your long journey. Go upstairs and take a hot shower and then relax. We've set up two beds for you. Tonight, we will celebrate!"

* * *

Damiano, Stefano and Marcello were watching afternoon television when they heard a knock at the door.

"Go see who it is," Damiano ordered Stefano who, grumbling, rose from the chair closest to the door and went over. He released the bolt and checked the security chain before opening the door. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight and he blinked a few times until they focused on an attractive Asian woman in a black business skirt and blazer and with magenta shirt.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Good afternoon, sir. I'm with the Ministry of Agriculture and we're doing a survey of communal farms in the area…" she began, moving her writing pad from one hand to the other. As she did so, she fumbled and it dropped to the ground.

"Merde," she cursed, leaning over on her side and bracing herself with her left hand to pick it up. As she did so, she pirouetted on her left leg and high-kicked with her right, the sole of her boot slamming into the door with enough force to shear the chain off the wall and knock it back into Stefano, causing him to fall flat on his ass.

Stefano was still a bit stunned from the impact, shaking his head to clear it and starting to move his arms to lift himself up when he saw the woman step into the foyer, the souls of her riding boots smacking against the tiles. She turned towards him and with horror he saw the cylindrical shape of a suppressor track directly towards him. The three 9x19mm bullets stopped his heart on impact, but enough oxygenated blood remained in his brain to visually register the flash and aurally the sound of the bullets before his vision went permanently dark.

* * *

In the kitchen, Ernesto sat at the table, sketching a wiring diagram on a pad of drawing paper. He still had to calculate the shape and size of the explosive device itself to bring down the support structure holding up the Viale dello Scalo San Lorenzo overpass. Their mission was to drop the span, which would cut all the rail lines leading into Termini Station. The bombing was planned for the early morning hours to minimize the chance of casualties as well as to ensure that the lines were severed before the morning rush of commuters into the city, forcing them to the roads and hopefully bringing the Eternal City's roads to gridlock.

He heard a sharp bang from the front area and turned his head towards the door leading out into the living area. A second sharp bang from the area of the back door snapped his head back. He saw the door swing inward and a figure supporting themselves in the air using their arms and the railings on the landing. The figure dropped onto their feet and rushed in and as it approached, he identified it as a young girl with long dark hair, dressed in a white sweater and plaid skirt with brown leather boots.

"_What is a girl doing here?" _his mind asked itself.

That girl brought forward an object in her hands and time slowed for Ernesto as his eyes focused on that object, his brain mentally comparing it to a catalog of images until he identified it as a German submachine gun. Unfortunately for him, that connection was made as the girl pulled the trigger and sent six bullets into his torso, shredding his heart, liver and both lungs and killing him instantly.

* * *

In the living room, Damiano and Marcello both involuntarily jumped when they heard the door crash into something.

"Stefano?" Damiano called out, to no reply. Both looked to each other and nodded. They were rising from the couch when an Asian woman dressed in black walked into the room.

"Chi siete?" Damiano demanded, and the woman answered by putting three 9mm rounds into his skull. Marcello didn't even have time to say anything before three rounds stopped his heart.

* * *

As for Agnolo and Nicola, they went to sleep and never woke up, each being killed in their beds by the two female assassins. One of them quickly cased the place, securing items of interest while the other snapped pictures of the corpses before emptying the wallets of cash and placing some drug paraphernalia to make the scene look like a drug deal gone very bad. They then disappeared out the back door, leaving behind no trace of their presence usable to forensics teams who would arrive the following day after receiving an anonymous tip from the agency that had sent the assasins.

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**The End**


	15. Quid Pro Quo

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

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**"**_**Quid Pro Quo"**_

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

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Even in early October the Friday weather in the Italian port city of Genoa was mild and pleasant. Precipitation was highest during this month, but the skies were clear and blue and a pleasant sun warmed the air into the low 20's.

The marina Porto Antico was located in the old harbor of Genoa, with 260 berths for vessels up to 60 meters in length. In one of these berths a 47m ketch slowly rode the waves as a swarm of people completed the job of preparing her for a cruise along the Italian and French Riviera.

Launched in 2002 by the Italian yacht-building firm of Perini Navi SpA, the S/Y _Azzura_ was a modern motorized sailing yacht designed to travel the world's oceans from pole to pole. The vessel presented a very high level of luxury with all the latest electronic conveniences. She could sleep eight guests in four bedrooms paneled in the finest wood and Italian marble while a crew of eight ensured that those guests never wanted for anything. She spent the summers in the Mediterranean and Michele entered into a charter agreement from Genoa to Valencia in Spain for himself and some very special guests.

Michele, dressed in a striped polo and dark blue khakis with deck shoes, stood towards the bow as a black Mercedes S Class with deeply-tinted windows pulled up before the ship. An elderly man in a bespoke suit and a much younger woman in a designer dress emerged from the back and walked across a gangplank to board, followed by the chauffer with two large suitcases.

"Pagani, good to see you again, boy. How's your old man?"

"He and mother are fine, Senator. Thank you," Michele replied.

"No need for titles with me, Michele. I've known you since you were in _scuola primaria_," Senator Corelli said with a laugh. He turned to the voluptuous blond hanging on his arm.

"Michele here is quite a catch, Fiorina. He made a mint in the American stock market so when you grow tired of me, you might want to look him up," Corelli said with a chuckle. In response, Fiorina flashed Michele a dazzling grin from perfect teeth.

"He's already taken, Senator," Kara said as she came up beside Michele, the smile on her face and the warmth of her tone not hiding the hint of steel in her words, however. She wore a very short pair of white cotton shorts and a red tank-top that revealed her bare midriff. As she hated sandals, Kara instead wore tennis socks and red hiking shoes.

"Kara, this is Senator Arturo Corelli. The Senator represents Milan and has been a friend of my father's since University," Michele stated. Kara replied with a bow.

A BMW 745Li and a Maserati Quattoporte Executive GT arrived together and Senator Mauro Gozzi and Deputy Renato Musto stepped out of each, respectively. Both also had young and attractive women on their arms.

"Welcome aboard Senator Gozzi; Deputy Musto," Michele greeted. "If you would all follow Linda here, she will escort you to the salon."

"That's everyone," he told the First Mate, who nodded and with one of the deckhands started to pull in the gangplank and prepare to make way as Michele and Kara made their way to the salon.

"This is a fantastic boat you have, Michele," Senator Corelli noted when they entered.

"Thank you. I'll pass your compliments on to the owner," Michele replied. "I expect you all would like to change into more appropriate attire now that we are underway. Hilary here will show you to your quarters. At your convenience, feel free to join me in the aft cockpit for appetizers and drinks."

After the three couples had left, Michele and Kara headed for the Fly Bridge.

"We can depart at your convenience, Captain," Michele noted.

"Aye, Mister Pagani," the Ship's Master replied. He lifted a walkie-talkie and ordered the First Mate and deckhands to their stations.

Towards the back of the Fly Bridge, Ilaria reclined in one of the yellow fabric couches, soaking in the sun in pair of white flat sandals with a deep-blue sleeveless sun dress. On another couch, Claes was reading a book, dressed in t-shirt and denim miniskirt with sneakers.

"Okay, ladies. I don't expect any trouble, so go ahead and relax and keep your weapons in your staterooms," Michele said.

"That's fine by me," Ilaria replied. "Babysitting a couple of politicians on a yacht is my idea of an assignment."

She looked to Kara. "I owe you one, roommate," she added with a smile.

The ship moved out of Genoa harbor into the Ligurian Sea. The strong breeze filled the main and mizzen sales and the boat glided across the waves, kicking up a white froth that stood out against the deep blue water.

Michele and Kara made their way back to the aft cockpit where _tartinas_ and _antipastos_ were being prepared under the supervision of the head chef, an American who had three Michelin stars to her name from stints at two restaurants prior to moving to the yachting industry. Hilary brought out a sterling silver champagne bucket with a chilled bottle of Krug Clos du Mesnil and a collection of Riedel Sommeliers Vintage Champagne stemware and everyone toasted each other's health and the health of the Italian Republic.

The three men seated along the fantail couch were in a combined way the "father" of not only the Social Welfare Agency, but Public Safety, Special Operations and the cyborg assassin program. Though each of them worked independently, their combined actions had given birth to girls like Kara, Ilaria and Claes. The cruise was a thank you to the three men for their support of a bill that allowed a technology transfer with the United States to bring some advanced nanotechnology the SWA Medical Staff wanted.

While he currently lived in and represented Rome, Senator Gozzi had been born and raised in the region of Basilicata and as a boy and young man witnessed first hand the predations of the various organized crime groups that operated in the southern regions of Italy. This made him a staunch supporter of the efforts by the Italian government to bring them into line as well as try and prevent the creation of new organized crime groups in Northern and Central Italy driven by immigration from Eastern Europe and other areas.

A life long friend of the Prime Minister, he'd offered enthusiastic support for the PM's idea of a new counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism group that would operate outside the Byzantine bureaucracies of the Ministries of Defense and Interior. He'd actually been the one to recommend that the PM use the Social Welfare Agency as a cover for this group since it was a pet project of the PM and his Office administered it directly, as opposed to the usual process of parking it under one of the various Ministries. While the private side of the SWA remained a closely guarded secret, Senator Gozzi still offered significant support to them, especially Section 2. Section 2 showed their appreciation for that support by carrying out the hit against Deputy Mascarl to push the Conralto Act through.

Deputy Musto also was a southerner, representing the Province of Salerno in southern Campania. The Camorra had ingrained themselves deeply into the region over the decades and held strong sway over much of the local, provincial and even regional government. Musto entered politics at a young age, starting on the Salerno town council followed by the provincial council. He'd rebuffed all attempts by the Camorra to bring him into their sphere of influence, both covert and overt. His constituents loved him and their vocal support thwarted attempts by Camorra to influence the electorate against him and no doubt helped keep Musto alive in office. When he ran for the Regional Council of Campania, Camorra fought hard to defeat him, but his anti-Camorra stance had brought him to the attention of a young staffer of a member of the Chamber of Deputies from Apulia. This staffer, who would become the current Prime Minister, succeeded in convincing his boss to get his party to offer support for Musto, who successfully won a seat on the Council.

Musto never forgot the PM's favor and eventually rose to the Vice Presidency of the Regional Council. When the PM himself ran to succeed his retiring boss in the next general election, he convinced Musto to also run for the Chamber of Deputies and the two supported each other, both being elected to office. They formed a strong friendship, sponsoring legislation to help try and break the power of the organized crime families. In the early 1990's, the rise of the Internet drew Musto's colleague to leave office and create a telecommunications company what would become an empire controlling over two-thirds of Italian media. Flush with his success, he re-entered politics towards the end of the decade, his party winning a commanding majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. Musto threw his support behind his old friend and received the position of Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs where he worked to advance the PM's goals to improve Italian medical technology to the forefront of the world as well as helping bring about the creation of the cyborgs of Section 2.

As for Senator Corelli, his wife of twenty-nine years passed away in the mid-1990s from cancer and when the new Prime Minister created the Social Welfare Agency to advance Italian medical technology to the forefront of the world, he found ready and strong support with the Senator. Though originally only familiar with the public face, he'd been briefed on the private side shortly after Michele joined Public Safety.

Since becoming a widower, Corelli could often be seen with some young thing on his arm and Fiorina had been with him for about six months. The attractive and buxom twenty-somethings sitting next to the other two men were not their wives, either.

* * *

The ship slowly cruised the Sea of Liguria and the staff lit candles in hurricane lamps and placed them on the Fly Bridge where everyone had gathered to watch the sun set as they quaffed cocktails. Ilaria and Kara relaxed in the deck Jacuzzi with Fiorina while the other two companions sat with Gozzi and Musto on the L-shaped couch. Across from them Corelli and Michele sat on a smaller couch. Claes had moved down to the front of the bow, sitting with her chin resting on her knees, her arms wrapped around her lower legs as she watched the waves.

"A 1981 Château Cheval Blanc," Senator Gozzi noted as he examined the label of a bottle of Bordeaux. "You have a sense of humor, I see," he added. The manager of Château Cheval Blanc turned his dogs on a wine critic who had rated his 1981 as sub-par, though afterward he tasted it again and found it to be up to the usual high standards.

"So when did you hook up with Kara?" Gozzi's companion, Clara, asked Michele.

"We started seeing each other regularly in March," Michele replied. The three politicians knew Kara, Ilaria and Claes were all cyborg operatives, but a cover was necessary for their companions as well as the crew. Under that cover, Kara was Michele's 20-year old girlfriend and Ilaria was her roommate at the University of Milan. Claes was Ilaria's younger sister, aboard because their parents were away for the week.

"She's quite beautiful and exotic," Musto's companion, Rachele, added.

"Thank you," Michele replied, trying to appear natural.

"She's a bit young," Corelli noted, though his eyes twinkled in jest.

"She's at least half his age, which is something you cannot say with Fiorina," Gozzi noted with a smile.

"Nor you with Clara," Corelli retorted, though he did so with a hearty laugh.

Fiorina climbed out of the Jacuzzi and used the deck shower to wash herself off. She then toweled herself dry and threw a Fendi zebra-stripe caftan over her bikini before joining Corelli on the couch.

Hilary appeared on the Fly Bridge and walked up to Michele.

"Padrone? Dinner is ready," she reported.

"Thank you, Hilary," Michele said. Kara and Ilaria both left the Jacuzzi and showered, Kara donning a coral reef patterned caftan while Ilaria tied a lagoon leaf print pareo around her waist. Michele called for Claes to come join them and she acknowledged with a wave.

Due to the pleasant weather and sights, Michele chose for dinner to be served _al fresco_ in the aft cockpit on the main deck where a large table had been set. The multi-course dinner menu reflected the excellent local seafood and they washed down the meal with Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill champagne and a 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild Bordeaux.

After dinner everyone returned to the Fly Bridge to watch the stars while they enjoyed caffé and digestivos. Kara and Ilaria decided to take a swim in the warm water and were joined by Fiorina, Clara and Rachele. Gozzi and Musto lit cigars to go with their _grappa_ while Michele sipped on _nocino_.

* * *

Around 20:00 Michele came up onto the Fly Bridge, two blankets in his arms.

"Lift up your legs," Michele ordered Claes, who lay stretched out along one side of the L-shaped couch, staring at the skies above her. She did so and Michele laid one of the blankets on top of her, tucking it in under her legs.

"Thank you," she said as Michele laid down on the other couch, his head near hers, and placed the second blanket over himself.

"It's so beautiful and quiet. I'd like to spend the night out here," Claes added.

"Better not. I don't want you to catch a cold," Michele replied.

"I'm not sure we can," Claes noted.

"Well then I don't want you to rust in the sea air."

Despite her efforts, a chuckle escaped Claes' lips.

"Victory is mine," Michele crowed, mimicking the line spoken by a baby on an old American animated television series he and Kara discovered on DVD.

"Where is everyone?" Claes asked, forcing her voice serious again.

"They're watching Serie A football on the plasma in the salon," Michele replied.

"Thank you for bringing me," Claes added.

"The assignment is a cakewalk and I know you enjoy the sea," Michele replied. He had to admit the view of the constellations away from the city lights was amazing – he could even see the hazy band of the galactic center stretch across the sky.

"I still believe you're too kind for this job," she noted. "Even though she brought you to the SWA, Kara is fortunate to have you for her handler."

"Kara may have brought me to Special Operations, Section 2, but I'm an SWA plank holder," Michele replied.

"Plank holder?"

"It's an old naval term, dating back when to when warships were made from wood. The first crew assigned to the vessel upon her commissioning would be given wooden planks from the construction materials to signify their status. Giulio Draghi recruited me into Public Safety within weeks of the department's creation. I actually have more time in grade then the Croce brothers. When he went to lead Special Operations, Section 1 he asked me to come with him, but I'd just settled into my role and didn't really relish a combat tasking, having just recently left combat duty with the Aeronautica Militare. I did have a hand in the creation of the cyborg program as well as Angelica's augmentation, which gave Director Lorenzo the leverage he needed to bring me into Section 2 as a condition for allowing Kara to undergo the surgeries."

They watched the stars until they heard the chatter from the salon fade away and then Michele forced Claes to get up and head inside with him to go to bed.

* * *

The sun rose a bit after 7:00 and Claes was the first to awake, Ilaria snoring softly in the other bunk. She dressed and made her way to the Fly Bridge to read. Michele was up next and took a shower before heading up on deck where he was joined a few moments later by Arturo Corelli.

"I see your girl is still sleeping as well?" the Senator noted as he took a seat at one of the side tables in the aft cockpit.

"This is kind of a vacation for her, so I decided to let her sleep in," Michele replied.

Hilary appeared and asked if both men were ready for breakfast now and fifteen minutes later she appeared with two plates of "Land and Sea Benedict" - poached eggs served on filet mignon and topped with lobster medallions and fresh Hollandaise.

"Ah nothing like a nice light breakfast," Corelli noted with a smile. "Fortunately, when you reach my age, you tend to not worry so much about your cholesterol," he added as he dived into his meal.

"So how are you and Kara getting along?" Corelli asked Michele.

"Quite good," Michele replied. "She's adapted very well to the surgeries and the conditioning. We have a number of things in common which certainly helps. Her emotions can be a bit erratic at times, but she's a teenager so I suppose I have to expect that."

"That is why my girlfriends are at least in their late 20's," Corelli replied with a chuckle.

"You're really incorrigible, Senator."

"I'll take that as a complement, Michele."

As if knowing they were talking about her, Kara appeared moments later. She ordered a vanilla bean brioche French toast with raspberry sauce and powdered sugar.

Over the next two hours, everyone else arose and had breakfast. During the night the ship had made for the coast, the Region of Liguria being known as "the Italian Riviera". They were now outside Camogli, a famous fishing village and tourist resort known for the rows of pastel-colored homes that lined the harbor and climbed into the hills.

Fiorina, Clara and Rachel all wanted to go ashore to shop, something their male companions were not enthused about, themselves. Therefore, Kara and Ilaria were sent along to chaperone / guard them and all five and a steward piled into the 5m dinghy and motored off. The politicians decided to get in some deep sea fishing and took the 4m dinghy into port to transfer to a fishing boat. This left Michele and Claes alone on the boat, so they took one of the sailing dinghies out on the water so Claes could gain more experience and practice.

Everyone returned to the ship for dinner and drinks and the vessel continued to slowly make it's way westward along the Riviera di Ponente for the next two days, visiting a number of internationally-known villages and towns.

On the afternoon of the third day they docked in Monaco where they were met by Minister Petris and Directors Lorenzo and Draghi. While the ladies went shopping, the three directors and three politicians had lunch and discussed funding and operations. When their companions returned from shopping, all nine boarded limousines which took them to the Monaco Heliport at Fontvielle where they boarded a Eurocopter AS365 N Dauphin from Heli Air Monaco that flew them to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport where they boarded an Aeronautica Militare Dassault Falcon 50 to Rome-Ciampino.

Michele and the girls stayed aboard and continued to Valencia, Spain, arriving on Friday evening. They spent the weekend in the city and then flew home to Rome Sunday afternoon.

* * *

**The End**


	16. Race Queen for a Day

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"_Race Queen for a Day"_**

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

Inside a rented Fiat Ducato motorhome, Kara leaned forward to zip up her left boot, a simple task made awkward due to the 10cm stiletto heel, which forced her to hook it inside the edge of the table. She heard a knock on the door and called out for the person to enter as she swapped legs and leaned forward to zip up the other one. In addition to the black patent leather boots, Kara wore a very tight and short pair of red shorts and a red t-shirt with the Ferrari logo on the front over her chest that exposed an ample portion of her mid-riff. She'd also changed her hair color temporarily to a light brown, leaving a small part down the middle the original black.

The table lay opposite the entrance door so when Michele slid that back after receiving Kara's permission to enter, he looked square onto her jutting backside. He averted his eyes, which caused Alessandro behind him to break out in a grin.

"Almost ready, pop," Kara said, adjusting her t-shirt and shorts with quick tugs. Michele took the passenger swivel seat and Alessandro settled into the driver's. To the right of Kara, Petrushka fiddled with her blonde wig. Her outfit was a black multi-flap latex microskirt whose length could be measured in angstroms over a black spandex undergarment and a black latex tank-top with the Ferrari logo. She also wore tall patent leather boots with stiletto heels, though in a rich red color.

Ilaria sat on the bed, dressed in a white latex long-sleeved top with the Shell and Pirelli logos over each breast and a white miniskirt a little longer then Petrushka's with white patent leather boots. Her expression shifted between mortification and excitement.

This weekend the Vallelunga circuit outside of Rome was host to the latest round of the Ferrari Challenge Italia and all three girls were serving as "race queens". The Ferrari Challenge dated back to the early 1990's and allowed owners of successive mid-engine Ferrari models to become involved in racing amongst their peers.

The weekend was divided into two programs – the _Trofeo Pirelli_ class for professional drivers and the _Copa Shell_ class for amateurs. Michele would be competing in the second class with a Ferrari 360 Modena Challenge – a lightened and more balanced version designed for use only on a race track - belonging to a close friend. They had competed together with the car in the 6 Hours of Vallelunga endurance race the previous year and Kara would join them this year when it was run in mid-November.

The girls were not dressed in skimpy outfits just to show off their physical beauty, but also because it allowed them access to the garages and suites above them as well as the pit lane and the starting grid. Their presence coincided with a mission and they needed full access to the facility.

The three girls stepped out of the motorhome and lined up before it.

"So?" Petrushka asked. Alessandro gave them a thumbs-up and Michele nodded.

"Picture time," Alessandro said and pushed Michele towards the girls who struck sexy poses around him. Michele forced a smile on his face while Alessandro used a digital SLR camera to snap a few of him, then just the girls together and individually.

"I do not want to see any pictures of Kara on the Internet or the lunchroom," Michele warned.

"That goes for Ilaria, as well," Danilo noted as he came up, dressed in the same pit crew shirt and pants as Alessandro. Neither would actually perform any work on the car, letting the real team handle those duties. Instead they'd coordinate the mission from the back of the garage and the suite overhead.

Danilo looked Ilaria up and down, the latter blushing red.

"A bit over the top for daily wear, but you look good," he noted and Ilaria smiled in response and had Alessandro snap a few pictures of them together.

They all walked across the parking area to the back of their assigned garage. Inside a _rosso corsa _F360 Modena Challenge sat on jacks amid a swarm of people in OMP Racing suits as they prepared it for the _Copa Shell_ class race. The _Trofeo Pirelli_ class had been run earlier in the day since the small number of garages did not allow for both teams to set-up simultaneously.

They walked along the edge of the garage and up a flight of stairs to the suites level above. As opposed to the corporate suites at Monaco or Monza, these were far more basic, with a leather couch and two chairs and a low table. A small wet bar and refrigerator nestled in the back next to the door and a buffet table lay across the side wall.

They sat down and Michele began the briefing.

"Our target owns the #16 car in the _Copa Shell_ race. Therefore you will not be able to make your move until after the race starts. Fortunately for us, he fancies himself a sushi gourmet with an accomplished sense of gastronomy. So we're going to spike one of his dishes with tetrodotoxin – specifically that produced by _Pseudoalteromonas tetraodonis_. Since we will be administering it orally, we're shooing for 250 milligrams which should be ten times the lethal dosage and guarantee a quick kill."

"Poison again," Ilaria noted. The previous month she and Kara poisoned a PRF bomber at a nightclub in Milan.

"Gunfire would be a bit indiscreet," Michele deadpanned. "Since I am not interested in a massacre, we're going to be using significantly lower dosages for everyone else. On the order of 2 milligrams which shouldn't prove fatal, though it's going to really mess them up for a bit."

"Why not just poison the target?" Alessandro asked.

"The goal is to make it look like puffer fish poisoning due to improperly prepared fish. This should hopefully throw off the coroner and result in an accidental death on the certificate. Kara and I are very well-known here, which is why we don't need the cops crawling all over the place for weeks if possible.

"Now you need to be very careful when handling the trays to be sure you do not come in contact with any of the food. The medical teams have no idea how the toxin would affect your non-biologic systems and I am not interested in undertaking a field study," he noted with a grim smile.

* * *

After the briefing Alessandro remained in the suite while the rest went down to the garage area. Danilo helped Michele into his racing suit and helmet and then stayed behind while Michele and the girls followed their car as it rolled out onto the grid and their twelfth-place (out of forty competitors) starting position. The three cyborgs looked around them and noticed between two and three "race queens" stood next to each car, posing for the photographers trolling back and forth between the cars and wearing the logos of various automotive products companies. They did their best to copy their activities and actions.

A tall race queen walked down the grid, a large sign saying "Five Minutes to Start" held high over her head. Michele opened the door and with the help of one of the pit crew strapped himself in. As the "Two Minutes to Start" sign made it's way down the grid, the Race Queens around the cars started to withdraw. Kara leaned her head in through the open window.

"Make me proud," she said and kissed his helmet for luck. Michele took her hand in his and gave it a quick squeeze and Kara pulled back to follow the others off the grid. She missed the start for the three cyborgs headed directly for the motorhome. Ilaria donned plastic gloves and removed some sushi trays from the refrigerator and arranged them on small plates following a picture of a professional display.

Kara and Petrushka closed the blinds in back and changed out of their race queen outfits into miniskirts and suit jackets of a metallic black silk with red piping and white shirts. Kara unzipped her black boots and zipped up a pair of boots identical to Petrushka's and they both pinned name tags to their jackets – Kara's read "Yuki" and Petrushka's "Katya". Petrushka also removed her blonde wig and fluffed out her natural red locks.

After completing the arrangements, Ilaria removed a stopper vial of the tetrodotoxin and carefully placed a drop on the yellowtail tuna of two of the plates. Being the mildest fish, she correctly figured that they would each eat the piece. For the dish meant for the target, she placed five drops to the rice under the more exotic pieces of _nigirizushi_; again correctly assuming the target would consume them first. The target's plate had a blue band around it so there would be no confusion when it came time to deliver them.

"That should be enough to drop an elephant in his tracks," she noted, carefully screwing the top back on and then disposing of the gloves. She placed chilled covers over the plates and then put them on two trays. Kara and Petrushka each took a tray and Ilaria opened the door for them. They made their way to the suites level via the main staircase and to the door of suite of their target. Kara knocked and then entered.

"_Buon pomeriggio_!" she called out. "We have your luncheon."

"Now that's service!" the target said. Kara and Petrushka noted that there were two other men and a woman with them. The woman looked to be with the target, which meant she might very well eat from his plate, and suffer a fatal dosage, as well. Kara mentally shrugged and set down the blue-banded plate between them while Petrushka served the other two.

_Play with fire long enough and you're eventually going to get burned,_ she thought.

For Kara, it wasn't a matter of vindictiveness, but one of practicality. While Michele taught that one should spare innocents whenever possible, sometimes 'innocence' could be more grey then black and white and Kara decided this classified as one of those 'grey times'.

"Can I get you something from the bar, sir?" Kara asked. The target ordered a Kirin Ichiban beer while the lady asked for cold _sake_. Kara assumed both would be stocked per the client's wishes and that assumption proved correct when she opened the refrigerator. She removed a chilled beer glass and popped open the can. She also poured the _sake_ into a ceramic _tokkuri_ and placed two _ochoko_ (small cylindrical cups) on the tray while Petrushka prepared her guest's drink orders. Kara returned to the table and placed the sake set down, followed by the beer glass. She then expertly poured the beer into the glass with just the right amount of head. Petrushka served her drinks and then made her way towards the door.

"Please enjoy your meal. We will be back after the race to clear your plates," Kara said with a deep bow. She then joined Petrushka at the door, bowed again, and exited.

Ten minutes later the real catering crew arrived. When they entered, the target was already dead, his mistress not far behind, and the two others were in a very bad way, though they would make a recovery thanks to prompt medical attention by the track staff who had a full mobile trauma center on-hand and were able to put them both on ventilators.

* * *

Kara and Petrushka returned to their own suite where they removed their name tags and replaced them with large colored enamel pins of the Scuderia Ferrari logo.

"Everything go okay?" Alessandro asked.

"No problem, Mr. Sandro," Petrushka said, removing a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "Nobody saw us on this level so for all they know we've been here the entire time." She plopped herself down on one of the couches and took a long pull from the bottle.

"How's Michele doing?" Kara asked as she moved one of the chairs close to the window.

"Uh…which car is his again?" Alessandro asked, sheepishly.

* * *

Michele steadily worked his way up to fourth at the finish. Kara ribbed him about that afterwards, boasting that if she'd been behind the wheel it would have been a podium finish for sure – a boast she'd fulfill at the Six Hours that November, qualifying the car fourth on the grid. She kept it in the Top Five during her first one-hour stint and both the owner and Michele maintained a Top Ten pace during their respective two-hour stints. When she took over at the start of the final hour, they were in sixth, but she drove it home to a third place finish.

* * *

**The End**


	17. Roommates

_This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself._

_

* * *

_

**"**_**Roommates"**_

A _Gunslinger Girl_ Original Story by Chris Wallace

* * *

"Your roommate is getting out of the hospital today," Michele informed Kara as the two consumed their breakfast in the main cafeteria. "If she follows normal procedure, she'll show up probably later this morning. As such, I've decided not to plan anything for your float day. Instead, I want you to show her around."

"Won't Ilaria be programmed with knowledge of the facility?" Kara asked.

"Yes, but you and she are going to be living together so you might as well start out on a friendly basis by being helpful," Michele answered.

Kara nodded. When they were done with breakfast, Michele released Kara back to her dorm so she spent the rest of the morning cleaning-up and organizing things. Since she herself had only been in the room a bit over a month, there was not much to do. The two handler's had worked together to choose the furnishings for the room and yesterday new bedding had arrived for the other bed.

Just before 11:00 there was a soft knock on the door, which opened a moment later and Danilo Sandrelli peeked his head in.

"Good morning, Kara," he greeted.

"Good morning Signore Sandrelli," Kara replied, moving to a sitting position on the bed.

Danilo stepped into the room and behind him a young woman with short black hair and blue eyes followed, dressed in jeans and a sweater jacket with athletic shoes.

"Kara, I'd like to introduce you to Ilaria. Ilaria, this is Kara Michele Pagani, cyborg to Michele Pagani."

"Ciao!" Ilaria said brightly, coming forward with her hand extended.

Kara slipped off the bed and accepted her hand. "Benvenuto," she said.

"That's a pretty outfit," Ilaria commented.

"Thank you," Kara replied. She was wearing a white skirt and white sweater vest, both from Dolce & Gabanna.

"Kara's handler is from Milan and therefore she wears nothing but the finest fashions," Danilo noted with a wane smile. "I'm hoping her tastes don't rub off on you, otherwise I'm going to sell some of my organs."

Kara responded by pulling down one eyelid and sticking her tongue out at him.

Danilo laughed. "Will you show Ilaria around for me?" he asked. "They scheduled an all-handlers meeting so I'll be tied up for the next few hours."

"I'd be happy to," Kara said. "Have you eaten yet, Ilaria?"

"I had breakfast in the hospital, but that was many hours ago."

"Did the doctors say she was okay to eat normal food?" Kara asked Danilo, who nodded affirmative. He gave both girls a wave and left their room, closing the door behind him.

"So…this is our room," Kara said. She pointed to a large six door wardrobe with four drawers. "This is where we store our clothes and weapons," she noted. She opened the two left doors and pointed to a single shelf on the bottom. She pulled it open and inside were two hard plastic cases, one sized for an assault rifle and one for a pair of pistols.

Ilaria's attention however was fixed on two pairs of shoes and a pair of boots with bright red soles.

"Are those Christian Louboutin?"

"Yes," Kara replied.

"Danilo wasn't kidding about your fashions, was he?" Ilaria noted as she looked at the dresses, skirts, shirts and blouses hanging on the rack and softly reciting off the labels.

"Uh, the other half is open for you. You'll want to store your weapons on the bottom shelf on the right. I have the left four drawers in the middle and the ones on the right are for you. The center doors are for storing our jackets."

"Cool," Ilaria noted. She put her hand on the top of her head and slowly moved it over to Kara, where it touched just above her eyes. She then put one of her feet next to Kara's.

"We look to be about the same height and shoe size," she noted and Kara saw a smile break out on Ilaria's face, though her new roommate didn't say anything else.

Kara closed the wardrobe doors and pointed to the opposite corner.

"Over here is the reading area," she said. There were two chairs upholstered in black leather with a tall floor lamp covered in paper providing illumination.

"How many channels do we get on the TV?" Ilaria asked, pointing to the 27" Sony LCD TV located in a wall cabinet that stretched from the outer edge of the reading area to the far wall.

"We have SKY Italia along with the DVB-T networks," Kara noted. "I mostly watch BBC Prime, myself. There is also a DVD player though we don't really have any library of titles at the moment."

"I take it the bed with the car posters above it is yours?" Ilaria asked, indicating the one closest to the window. Kara nodded. Each bed had it's own nightstand table with a lamp on a swivel arm.

The desk surface was clear, Kara having moved her Apple PowerBook to her side of the wardrobe along with her iPod and other accessories. She showed Ilaria the drawer unit, indicating the second drawer was for her use and they could split the larger bottom unit for storing papers.

"Lunch starts at 11:30 so we can take the long way to the dining room," Kara said. She went back to the wardrobe and removed the black leather Christian Louboutin boots, sitting in one of the leather chairs to pull them on.

Ilaria followed her outside. Their dorm was on the eastern edge of the property facing the mountains, the handlers dorm within a short walking distance. As they walked around behind the building through an open grassy area, they saw a young girl with black hair working a hoe in a patch of dirt near a retaining wall.

"That's Claes," Kara noted. "She doesn't have a handler and she doesn't partake in missions," she added.

"What does she do then?" Ilaria asked.

"Michele said she helps test and calibrate the cybernetic systems. She also evidently helped develop some of the new systems in our own bodies."

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Ilaria asked as they continued walking.

"Claes isn't the most…sociable…of people," Kara noted.

"What is she working on?"

"A garden," Kara replied. "Michele wants to make one, as well."

They continued on past the edge of the field and climbed steps to the upper level of the grounds and walked up a curved drive that went through a large L-shaped building.

"The cyborg dining room is on the right. To the left is another area for senior staff. Farther down is the main cafeteria and kitchen facilities," Kara pointed out.

Two young girls, one with short brown hair and one with short blonde hair, were walking along the path.

"Good morning, Henrietta; Rico," Kara called out. "Ilaria, I would like you to introduce you to the Croce Brother's cyborgs. This is Henrietta and this is Rico. Giuse is Henrietta's handler and Jean is Rico's."

The three girls exchanged introductions.

"Kara, are you heading to the dining room for lunch?" Rico asked.

"Yes I am. Want to race?"

"Ok!" Rico said and crouched down.

"Ready…Set…Go!" Kara said and the two of them took off up the drive. Kara had a longer stride, but Rico's athletic shoes provided better traction then Kara's boots so they were still neck and neck as they went under the archway and disappeared out of sight.

"Wait for me!" Henrietta called out, scampering after them in her loafers, giving Ilaria little but to chase after her.

Ilaria followed Henrietta into the building and down a short hall to the open door that led into their dining room. Along one corner were two sets of tables with a large buffet laid out. There were also four tables with six chairs each. As lunch was just starting, the catering staff were still loading chafing dishes and putting out the finishing touches.

Kara and Rico were both drinking from water bottles they had removed from a large bucket with ice.

"Sorry about that, Ilaria," Kara said between swigs from the bottle. "It's good exercise and, well, can you resist a smile like that?" she added, pointing to Rico's 750-watt grin.

"It's Wednesday, which means that whatever is for lunch should be…interesting," Henrietta noted as the catering team left.

Kara went over and carefully lifted the covers from two chafing dishes. "Looks like Thai and Vietnamese. So at least they're both from the same area of the world," she noted, brightly.

"I take it the chef is a bit flaky?" Ilaria asked.

"Well we have three different teams depending on the day of the week. The one that works on Wednesdays takes the concept of 'fusion' to illogical extremes. Last week it was Russian-Portuguese, so we had chouriço piroshkies. And the week before that it was Italian-Swedish and they made ossobucco."

"What's wrong with that?" Ilaria asked. Ossobucco was a famous Milanese dish made with veal shank.

"The chefs used reindeer," Henrietta noted. "It was about as tender as veal, but much stronger in flavor."

The four prepared their plates and headed for one of the tables.

* * *

**The End**


End file.
